Tuesday night's limited NBA betting slate offers up a one-sided matchup as a nightcap with the Orlando Magic visiting the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers have been playing the NBA's best basketball over the past two weeks, while the Magic stole headlines at the trade deadline with a fire-sale that consumed a good portion of their team.
Can the carcass the Magic left behind hope to compete with the Clippers' hobbled platoon? Find out with our free picks and predictions for Magic vs. Clippers on March 30.
Orlando Magic at Los Angeles Clippers betting preview
Injuries
Magic: Cole Anthony PG (Out), Gary Harris SG (Out), Terrence Ross SG (Probable).
Clippers: Paul George SF (Questionable), Rajon Rondo PG (Questionable), Serge Ibaka C (Questionable), Patrick Beverley PG (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Clippers are 6-0 ATS in their last six games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Magic vs. Clippers.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonAs of 7:15 p.m. ET, Los Angeles is out to -11.5 from a late Monday night opener of -10 at FanDuel. It's all Clippers action on the point spread, at 83 percent of bets and 88 percent of money. The total moved from 215 to 215.5, then down to 214.5 and back to 215.5, with 56 percent of bets on the Over and 56 percent of cash on the Under.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Magic were already having a pretty rough season. The wheels to a spirited start came off when Markelle Fultz tore his ACL, and Orlando promptly locked itself in the East basement.
Then, obviously, it was a huge seller at the recent NBA trade deadline, jettisoning the bulk of its rotation, mostly for future assets, and leaving a barren G-League-esque roster to hold down the fort. Sixth man Terrence Ross became the Magic's de-facto go-to scorer overnight, with very little depth behind him.
On the flip side, you have the Clippers, who have won and covered in six straight games over tough competition, scoring 121 ppg in that span with a ridiculous average victory margin of 21 points. They could be without several rotation guys for this game, but that didn't seem to bother them Monday night when they pasted the Bucks 129-105 without Paul George or Patrick Beverley.
Though 11 points seems like a big spread, the Magic are shallow enough, and the Clippers are hot enough, that we have to back L.A.
PREDICTION: Los Angeles -11 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Most signs point to the Under here, and we're not about to be contrarians.
The Magic took what was already one of the NBA's crappiest offenses and stripped it down to spare parts. Ross' 16 ppg leads their current roster, while Dwayne Bacon, at 10.4 ppg, is their only other double-digit scorer.
As mentioned above, the Clippers are on a torrid offensive streak, but this game is very likely to get out of hand early, making it a prime load management spot for Kawhi Leonard.
It's a virtual certainty that the Magic won't hold up their end of the bargain in this one, and the Clippers are very liable to have their foot off the gas for the fourth quarter. Prepare to be Under-whelmed.
PREDICTION: Under 215 (-110)
Prop pick
The Magic have failed to score 100 points in six of their past nine games (seven of which came before the trade deadline), breaking that mark against the porous defenses of the Blazers and Nets, and what has to be seen as an outlier against the Suns.
We're not exaggerating when we say that this is the league's very worst roster on offense now, and cracking that 100-point barrier will be a challenge for the Magic on a nightly basis.
So let's count on them to struggle in this spot, in what should be a slow-paced game on both ends.
PREDICTION: Orlando team total Under 101.5 (-115)
Magic vs Clippers betting card
- Los Angeles -11 (-110)
- Under 215 (-110)
- Orlando team total Under 101.5 (-115)
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