NBA Regular Season 2023/24, Saturday, 09.12.2023
With nine wins in a row, the Orlando Magic set their own franchise record in the 2023 NBA season. However, they failed to set a new record.
The last two games against the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers brought coach Jamahl Mosley’s men back down to earth after their high-flying run.
Nevertheless, the Florida franchise is in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 14-7. On Friday night they host the Pistons at home in the Amway Center, who are bottom of the East with a record of 2-19.
In my Magic vs Pistons betting tip, I come to the same result as the bookmakers and play the bet “Victory Orlando with HC -9.5” at odds of 1.65 at bookmaker Interwetten
For the German bookmakers, the starting position in the Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons prediction is clear. The home side are the heavy favorites with a spread of minus 11.5 points.
There are only average odds of 1.18 for a home win, while a win for the visitors is rewarded with average odds of 5.47.
After 123 duels, the Pistons lead the direct comparison with 70 wins to 53 defeats. Since the 2021-22 season, Detroit has won five of six duels.
However, the last two meetings in this calendar year, both in the Motor City, went to Orlando.
The Magic came up five wins short of a play-in last year. This year, the franchise celebrated a great start to the season. With nine wins in a row, they set their own franchise record.
German international Franz Wagner shone with three 30-point games in a row. His brother Moritz scored 29 points in the game against the Boston Celtics.
On Sunday, the team then went to the Nets. The team from Florida had suffered their last defeat in Brooklyn. And this time, too, they went down to a 101:129 defeat.
And on Thursday, they suffered their second defeat in a row with a 111:121 loss at the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coach Jamahl Mosley’s men were already trailing by 23 points at the break
In the meantime, however, the Magic even got back to within five points, thanks in particular to Paolo Banchero, who scored an impressive 42 points on his own.
The 21-year-old thus became the second-youngest player in franchise history to score more than 40 points in a match. The number 1 here is Shaquille O’Neal at the age of 20 years and 347 days.
Two main reasons for the loss were the lack of accuracy from distance and the poor rebounding record. Orlando is normally one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA.
One reason for their strong season is their great defense. With an average of 109.3 points allowed, the Orlando Magic are number four in the league here
Detroit has been in a state of upheaval for four years now. However, the successes in this period have been extremely modest so far, with just 80 wins in four seasons.
No team has had a worse win percentage since 2019. This year, Detroit wanted to finally make progress under new coach Monty Williams, for whom they paid a lot of money.
But so far, the team from the Motor City is doing even worse than before. With just two wins and 19 defeats, the team is bottom of the NBA.
Their only victories have come against the Bulls, who are 7-14, and the Hornets, who have a 6-12 record. Their last win also came on October 28th
Wednesday’s 102-116 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies was their 18th loss in a row. That is the longest drought in the NBA since the Rockets conceded 20 straight losses in the 2020-21 season.
Detroit led by two points at home against Memphis, who are now just 6-14, at the start of the final quarter. However, this was followed by a run of 2-12 points from the home side.
This also puts the Pistons in last place in most power rankings. They have been dogged by bad luck with injuries throughout the season. At least they recently got Bojan Bogdanović back.
Turnovers are a major problem. Here, the team from Michigan is ranked 29th in the league
Conclusion: The starting position for this game is of course clear: Orlando is still number 3 in the East. And the visitors arrive with a losing streak of 18 games in a row.
This unequal duel offers the Magic a great opportunity to end their short losing streak of two defeats in a row as quickly as possible. The team from Florida has won all of its last seven home games.
Everything speaks in favor of an eighth success in a row, which in my opinion should be clear. Detroit (27th to 15th) has clear disadvantages in offense as well as in defense (22nd to 7th).
My Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons betting tip is therefore: Victory Orlando with HC -9.5
