NBA 2022/23, on Thursday, 02.02.2023
I’m not going to let this betting opportunity slip away tonight! That’s because the Orlando Magic are back at home to the Philadelphia 76ers and could once again win a doubleheader against a team that is clearly better on paper.
As basketball fans already know, it would by no means be the first time – the C’s send their regards at this point.
In my 76ers Magic tip, meanwhile, I try to torpedo the lush betting odds once again with another underdog bet, because I’m absolutely convinced of another win for the Floridians in the rematch.
If you read our NBA picks regularly, you will already have noticed that I have favoured the Magics in several games against top teams and that they have enabled me to collect great betting odds in the end by means of their “surprise victories with an announcement” in numerous cases.
The Floridians are not for nothing the only NBA team that has celebrated three season duels against the best team in the league – the Boston Celtics.
But that’s not all, because a few days ago they also defeated the 76ers. The Sixers may not be quite as strong as Boston, but they still had a star-studded line-up against Orlando with Joel Embiid and James Harden.
Even in the first win over the Sixers, top bookmakers like Bet365 were paying out betting odds of around 4.40.
While those values are no longer quite as lavish tonight with odds averaging 4.00 – as the bookies have learned – they are still worth another away win bet.
However, a first look at the standings and the most common NBA statistics makes the sports betting fan shiver at first – and rightly so!
Because the Magic have won only 20 games this season and have even allowed an average of 1.4 more points per 100 possessions compared to last year – and back then their defensive work was already downright bad!
If you analyse the above figures soberly, however, they still lead the observer to the wrong conclusion. The Magic’s performance is determined first and foremost by the starting five with which they enter the respective game.
With the trio of Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. the Floridians have three excellent players who – when they play together – considerably increase the Magic’s chances of success.
This trio was not only on the floor together in the win against the 76ers, but also in all other season highlights of the Floridians.
And when a Moritz Wagner adds 22 points off the bench – as he did yesterday against the Sixers – they really can beat anyone on a good day.
With the Magic starting their “Big Three” again tonight, the odds of cracking the Sixers again are much higher than sports bettors incorrectly assume.
After all, the 76ers already played good basketball yesterday and used their absolute superstars. Embiid had his usual strong match with 30 points and eleven rebounds – but still could not change the outcome of the game.
Now I don’t expect the home side to show a sufficient increase compared to the first encounter.
Before the first duel, I would have expected another high-scoring game, because the conditions for this were definitely there. Namely, the Magic possess a miserable defense, while the 76ers have gotten much better going forward.
For Philadelphia has amazingly won 20 of its last 24 NBA games and is currently listed by NBA analysts as having a better offensive than defensive ranking in the respective rankings for the first time since mid-November.
Still, given the rather low-scoring 119-109 in their last meeting, I’d rather use a sportsbook bonus in combination with another Magic win than an over-230-point bet.
Conclusion: Conservative sports betting fans can of course work with “handicap advantage Magic”, as even in this case many bookmakers still loosen decent odds.
However, I don’t want to leave any unnecessary value, as the Floridians already proved yesterday that they can beat the Sixers in their absolute best line-up.
Provided that the head coach of the Floridians once again throws his best players into the fray, I will stick with my 76ers Magic: Orlando wins the rematch as well!
