NBA 2022/23, on Friday, 24.03.2023
I have marked Orlando Magic vs New York Knicks as a very interesting game in my basketball calendar. Here it is really a matter of judgement how much you believe in the Floridians.
In my Magic Knicks tip, two possible betting scenarios are recommended, of which I personally tend towards the latter. Because Orlando probably needs a small “HC advantage” to come out on top in the end.
Following my successful Magic Wizards tip, I wondered if Floridians could beat the much stronger Knickerboxers from the East Coast of the USA the following night.
After all, Franz Wagner put in exactly the strong performance against the Capital Bullets with 20 points that I had expected from him in advance – and that goes for the entire team as well.
Every member of the starting five as well as bench player Cole Anthony contributed at least 14 points to their team’s 122-112 victory. The ball is rolling well for the Magic and even if they don’t make the play-offs, the winning streak doesn’t necessarily have to end tonight.
Of course, the upcoming opponent poses a much bigger challenge for Orlando. This is also reflected in the Magic Knicks odds of the German betting providers, who all favour the guests – and rightly so!
The Knicks are in the race for a direct play-off spot and will most likely occupy the fifth spot. They have also been largely spared from the injury bug.
But despite all that, I’m seriously thinking about whether the Magic might be able to pull off a close match tonight like they did on 8 February 2023, when they were only beaten by four points in their own stadium by the Knickerboxers (98-102).
In their last head-to-head meeting, the Magic even led until close to the end before being robbed of victory by the New Yorkers in a heart-stopping finish.
The Knickerboxers primarily stand for good offensive basketball, but at the same time they also maintain a mediocre defence, which could well give the Floridians the opportunity to cause them similar problems as the Timberwolves did yesterday.
Incidentally, the Knicks are particularly strong during the first half of the game. Since 4 December 2022, they have scored an average of 7.4 points per 100 possessions before the break than after. Catch-up games, on the other hand, don’t seem to be their thing!
The Knickerboxers have won only three of their last 24 NBA games in which they trailed by ten or more points. It is therefore essential for the Magic not to fall behind in the first half of the game.
In fact, another option could be to place a Bet365 sports bet on the home side’s performance in the second half. After all, the Floridians usually perform a little better at home after the break.
In the end, it’s no crime to place a home win bet on the underdog. After all, readers who regularly check out my NBA picks know that I’ve been able to dupe the sports bettors several times with the often underrated Magic.
But in the end, I think it would be more advisable to use the offer of a handicap bet to provide the home side with a small lead that should help them – at least on my betting slip – to succeed.
Finally, I can well imagine that the Knickerboxers with Brunson, Randall as well as the recently traded Hart are in a position to be able to snatch victory from Orlando again on the finish line by means of a sharpening of pace.
The situation on the markets looks like this in detail! The visitors from New York are relatively clearly favoured over the home side with an average of 1.60 odds to win.
For a success of the Floridians – the third in a row – much higher odds of about 2.30 are estimated. These are high, but a success over the Knickerboxers is certainly not hopeless!
Conclusion: I’m a big believer in the Magic’s ability, so I’m definitely expecting a heart-stopping finish tonight that is sure to surprise some bookies.
Because the Floridians are currently riding a small wave of success and could do well against the Knickerboxers again – especially if they don’t fall behind by the break.
Nevertheless, I am deliberately going for a small handicap bet to avoid the risk of them being caught up just before the end.
The New Yorkers have two players in Brunson and Randall who they couldn’t quite get to grips with in last season’s duel.
My Magic Knicks tip: Orlando wins at HC +2.5.
