Orlando Magic vs. Golden State Warriors Pick & Predictions for Jan 2

Orlando Magic (19-13 SU, 22-10 ATS) vs. Golden State Warriors (15-17 SU, 14-17 ATS)

When: Tuesday, January 2nd, 10:00 PM (ET)

Where: Chase Center, CA, San Francisco

TV: NBCS

Point Spread: Orl +3.5/GS -3.5

Total: 231.5

Money Line: Orlando Magic +134/-161

Notable Injuries

Magic

• Joe Ingles (Out) Ankle
• Markelle Fultz (Questionable) Knee
• Jonathan Isaac (Out) Hamstring

Warriors

• Draymond Green (Out) Suspension

Recent Form

As the Orlando Magic get ready to take on the Warriors, they are the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference at 19-13. Orlando has struggled on the road this season, going just 7-9. However, they have been solid against the spread on the road, posting a record of 10-6.

So far, the Magic have been the underdog in 20 of their 32 games and have an average scoring differential of -2.2 points per game in those games. Their overall ATS record as the underdog this season is 13-7, and they have four straight ATS wins on the road.

Today’s over/under line of 231.5 is slightly below their average over/under line of 226.2. This season, 24 of their games have had lower over/under lines than 231.5. Orlando’s over/under record for the season is 15-17.

When looking at the Western Conference standings, the Magic are in 1st place in their division. Against other teams in the West, Orlando has gone 5-4 compared to 14-9 in conference play.

The Golden State Warriors will look to snap a few streaks as they host the Magic today. Going into the game, the Warriors have dropped three straight and have failed to cover the spread in each of their last two. Overall, Golden State is 11th in the West at 15-17.

When playing at home, the Warriors are just 9th in both their straight-up and ATS records. Golden State’s home record for the season is 9-8, and they have gone 5-11 ATS at home.

Against other teams in the Western Conference, the Warriors are just 3-6 compared to 4-3 in non-conference games. Golden State’s average scoring differential for the season is -0.4 points per game.

When looking at the over/under results, Golden State has gone 17-14-1 for the season. In their previous games with higher over/under lines than today’s line of 231.5, the Warriors have an O/U record of 7-7-1.

The Historicals

The level of competition has been tight in the 5 most recent games between Magic and Warriors with just -2 points per game separating the teams. Orlando has the ATS edge in this span at 4-1. Over the course of these games, they averaged 224 points per game, leading a 3-2 over-under record.

Analysis

In their last game, the Magic put up 107 points vs. the Suns. In total, they shot 46.7% from the field and hit 12 three-pointers. Paolo Banchero led the Magic in scoring vs. the Suns with 28 points, while Franz Wagner was right behind him with 27.

At present, the Magic’s defense is ranked 5th, allowing 110.7 points per game. When it comes to forced turnovers, the Magic are forcing 14.1 per game, which is 23rd in the league. They also come into the game sitting 11th in blocked shots at 5.6 per game.

Looking at Golden State’s last game, they scored 122 points vs. the Mavericks. In that game, they shot 45.6% from the field and went 9/13 from the free-throw line. When it comes to scoring, Stephen Curry is leading the team with an average of 27.3 PPG. Heading into today, Klay Thompson is also averaging 16.7 PPG.

Coming into today’s game, the Warriors’ defense is giving up an average of 116.3 points per contest. Opponents are hitting 54.4% of their two-point field goal attempts this season, and they’re also connecting on 35.2% of their three-point attempts.

Betting Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Orlando has an ATS record of 4-1 while averaging 112 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
• Although Golden State has a straight-up record of 1-2 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 1-2. The team averaged 115 points per game in these games.
• In their last five games as the betting underdog, the Magic have a straight-up record of 2-3 and an ATS mark of 4-1.
• As the betting favorite, the Warriors have an ATS mark of just 1-2 in their last three games. Golden State posted a straight-up mark of 1-2 in these matchups.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

Despite having dropped three straight games, two of which were at home, the Warriors are favored by 3.5 vs. the Magic. But on the other side, the Magic have just four wins in their last ten games. I’m taking Golden State to get back on track tonight and cover the spread at -3.5.