NBA 2022/23, on Thursday, 26.01.2023
The NBA match between the Orlando Magic and the Indiana Pacers represents the next opportunity to cash in at providers with a valid sports betting licence. Even if the home side’s odds are not as good as yesterday’s, another win the following night is even more likely.
In my Magic Pacers tip, I point out that the Floridians, when they play with three very specific players, actually cannot lose. The guests from the heart of the USA, on the other hand, have once again started their trip without their best man.
Yesterday’s Magic Celtics tip was right on target! For the third time this season, the Floridians have beaten the best team in the NBA, giving me odds of around 3.40.
I take my hat off to the bookmakers for this generous betting odds. To reduce the Floridians to their position in the Eastern Conference would have been a serious mistake.
Because there are exactly three players in Orlando who – provided they stay healthy and are not traded away – can lead this franchise to the playoffs in the coming years: Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr.
The Magic have outscored opposing teams by 7.9 points per 100 possessions with the Wagner-Banchero-Wendell-Carter trio in a combined 409 minutes on the floor – the C’s especially getting a taste of the skills of these budding NBA superstars.
In fact, the talented trio put up the ninth-best performance for any possible three-man combination in the league that was on the floor together for at least 100 minutes in the month of January.
That’s a lot of numbers, but for those less familiar with NBA stats, I can break it down to the basics:
When the Magic are playing with their three best players, they are – contrary to what the standings suggest – one of the better teams in the league.
In the upcoming game against the Pacers, I fully trust the famous “momentum”.
Because less than 48 hours after the game against the Celtics, the buzz at the Amway Center surrounding the impressive 113-98 win over the NBA’s best team still hasn’t fully followed.
At the same venue, Orlando now welcomes the Pacers, a franchise that should be much easier to play against than Boston. Especially since Indiana has lost six of its last seven games.
In four of those six losses, the Yellow and Blue trailed by more than 12 points when the final siren sounded. The Pacers are slipping further and further down their division and can only participate in the play-offs – if at all – via the Play-In-Tournament!
The visitors have been caught in a negative spiral for weeks, which pretty much started with the injury to Tyrese Haliburton and will likely continue until their first-round pick returns.
Haliburton, after all, is without a doubt the Yellow and Blue’s best player and a future All-Star “in the making” – as the Americans would say. But his absence alone cannot be used as an excuse for the recent poor performances.
The Pacers lost last week to teams that are also shorthanded – including the Bucks and Nuggets. In the loss to the Suns, Phoenix even had to do without four of its five preferred starting five players.
Unfortunately, there are no longer quite as interesting odds on the betting markets regarding a win for the Floridians as there were against the Celtics.
Nevertheless, I would not be afraid of the 1.53, which are currently offered by various bookmakers.
A win for the Pacers, who are shorthanded, is being offered at much higher odds of 2.60, which I personally would keep my hands off tonight.
As for the head-to-head matchup, the Pacers won the first early-season doubleheader in November by scores of 123-102 and 114-113, respectively.
However, Indiana was playing at home and with its best lineup then, while the young Magic players were still miles away from their performance maximum at the start, which they only tested again last night against the Celtics.
Conclusion: Weaker franchises like these two live off their superstars, whose absence can hardly be compensated for by a squad that is rather weak across the board. Top teams have more possibilities to redeploy in an emergency.
Now the situation is that the Magic’s trio Wagner-Banchero-Wendell-Carter is in top form and have just beaten the strong Celtics for the third time this season – coincidence? I hardly think so!
On the other hand, Indiana is missing the driving force in the Yellow and Blue’s game in Tyrese Haliburton, who started a downward trend with his injury that will continue seamlessly tonight at the Amway Center.
My Magic Pacers tip: Orlando wins.
