The Sacramento Kings pay a visit to the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center on Thursday night. Here’s a Magic vs. Kings Prediction. This article will include a Magic vs. Kings Pick.
Sacramento Kings Betting Preview
The Sacramento Kings have been in decent shape as they’ve won five of their last nine games overall, but they will be hoping to bounce back here after getting thrashed by the Hornets in a 134-90 road defeat on Tuesday. Daeqwon Plowden led the team with 22 points on nine of 17 shooting; Devin Carter added 18 points while Maxime Raynaud chipped in with 16 points. As a team, the Kings shot 41 percent from the field and nine of 28 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep pace with the Hornets from the start, leaking 72 points in the first half to trail by 25 points at halftime and things only got worse in the second half.
Orlando Magic Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic have been doing it tough lately, as they are now on a season-worst six-game losing streak after getting beaten by the Cavaliers in a 136-131 road defeat on Tuesday. Paolo Banchero led the team with 36 points, six rebounds and five assists; Tristan da Silva added 18 points while Jamal Cain and Desmond Bane each scored 17 points. As a team, the Magic shot 49 percent from the field and 14 of 39 from the 3-point line as they hit the ground running with 39 points in the first quarter to jump out in front at the start, but this one went down to the wire as the Magic trailed by just three points with 37.5 seconds left on the clock before the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell shut the door with a clutch shot with just 13.7 seconds remaining.
Why the Orlando Magic will win
- The Kings have lost each of their last 11 games against Eastern Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- The Magic have won each of their last nine games as favorites against Western Conference opponents following a loss.
- The Magic have covered the spread in each of their last seven home games against Western Conference opponents following a loss.
- The Kings have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four games.
Why the Sacramento Kings will win
- The Magic have lost each of their last six games.
- The Kings have won four of their last five games as road underdogs against Southeast Division opponents following a loss.
- The underdogs have covered the spread in each of the Magic’s last six games at Kia Center.
- The Magic have failed to cover the spread in four of their last five games as home favorites.
Total Points: Facts
- Each of the Magic’s last six games against the Kings following a road loss has gone OVER the total points line.
- Four of the Kings’ last five road games against Eastern Conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Orlando Magic Player Facts
- Paolo Banchero has scored 35+ points in two consecutive appearances—the longest active streak of any player in the league.
- Desmond Bane ranks 1st in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for FT% (92.4%) this season.
Sacramento Kings Player Facts
- Maxime Raynaud ranks 10th amongst qualified players for FG% (56.9%) this season.
- Malik Monk is one of only 10 players in the league to have recorded 12+ assists without a turnover in a game this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Magic rank 1st in the league for opponent three-point field goals made per game this season (11.9).
- The Magic rank 1st in the league for free throws made per game this season (21.6).
- The Kings rank 30th in the league for three-point percentage this season (33.9%).
- The Kings rank 30th in the league for three-point field goals made per game this season (10.2).
Magic vs Kings Prediction
The Kings are still missing Domantas Sabonis, De’Andre Hunter, Keegan Murray and Russell Westbrook, with Precious Achiuwa listed as questionable, while the Magic have ruled out Franz Wagner, Jonathan Isaac and Anthony Black, with Jalen Suggs questionable. The Magic haven’t been playing anywhere near their best lately and they are still missing a few players, but they still open as heavy favorites over the lowly Kings, who are just severely shorthanded at the moment. It doesn’t feel great to lay these many points, but the last time these teams met resulted in a 131-94 win for the Magic back on Feb 19 and I think we’re about to see a similar result in this meeting.