Nets vs. Magic NBA Cup betting preview: Prediction, point spread, odds

Posted by author November 29, 2024 NBA

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The Brooklyn Nets (9-10) are dealing with injuries to key players like Cam Thomas and Noah Clowney, but that hasn’t stopped them from competing to the best of their abilities. After a successful road trip, Brooklyn is looking to keep their winning streak going Friday against the Orlando Magic (13-7) and if you’re wondering how you can watch all the action live, you’ve come to the right place!

The Nets come into this game following an impressive 127-117 win at the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday in which the leading scorer for Brooklyn was not Dennis Schroder or Cam Johnson, but Two-Way forward Tyrese Martin with 30 points off the bench. Schroder contributed 29 points to his credit, but the story of the game was how the Nets’ bench stepped up to upset a Phoenix team led by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

The Magic enter this matchup after a 133-119 win against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in which Orlando raced out to a 38-25 lead after the first quarter and never looked back on the way to winning the game by double digits. Jalen Suggs stepped up for the Magic to the tune of 31 points while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 24 points of his won to help pick up the slack for Franz Wagner, who struggled to a 7-of-20 shooting performance from the field.

The Lines, Courtesy Of BetMGM

Point-spread: Nets (+7.5)
Money-line: Nets (+230)
Over/Under: 210.5

Notable Injuries

Nets: OUT: Bojan Bogdanovic (foot), Noah Clowney (ankle), Jaylen Martin (knee), Dennis Schroder (personal), Day’Ron Sharpe (hamstring), and Cam Thomas (hamstring). QUESTIONABLE: Nic Claxton (back), Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle), Cam Johnson (ankle), and Jalen Wilson (calf).

Magic: OUT: Paolo Banchero (oblique), Gary Harris (hamstring), Mac McClung (G League), and Trevelin Queen (G League).

Advice and Prediction

Coming into this game, the Nets are still dealing with some key injuries as they will be missing Cam Thomas and Noah Clowney for the next two to three weeks with their respective injuries. Not to mention that four other players are listed as questionable while Dennis Schroder will miss this game for personal reasons so Brooklyn will have to rely on some of their lesser-used guys if they want to have a chance of beating the Magic.

The Magic are on a four-game winning streak after beating the Bulls on Wednesday and the team appears to be fine despite the loss of Paolo Banchero after his hot start to the season. Orlando being able to beat teams even when Franz Wagner doesn’t have his best game is something to watch for a Nets team looking to pull off an upset in front of their home crowd.

Brooklyn is one of the better offensive teams in the NBA in terms of offensive rating (115.4, eighth in the league) while the Magic are one of the teams near the bottom of the category (110.7, 23rd) so the Nets will have the advantage in that regard. On the other hand, Brooklyn is one of the worst teams in the league in defensive rating (117.4, 24th) while Orlando is one of the best (105.8, third) in the metric so this game will come down to who can impose how the game will go.

Prediction: Magic 110, Nets 105