This was quite the weekend in sports, especially in the NBA Saturday. Monday brings us yet another busy night across the Associate, including two games on NBA TV: Lakers vs. Nets (7:30 p.m. ET) and Hawks vs. Trail Blazers (10 p.m. ET).
Our betting analysts are targeting one of those matchups, plus Magic vs. 76ers for their best bets Monday. They break down their expert picks and predictions below.
NBA Odds & Picks
Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Chris Baker: Hard to imagine a worse situational spot for this 76ers team who just had their biggest win of the season against an elite Denver Nuggets team. They had a dramatic and emotional comeback win that saw Joel Embiid make a statement with 47 points on 18-of-31 shooting.
The following day this 76ers team got to head over to Lincoln Financial Field and witness their hometown Eagles advance to the Super Bowl over the 49ers. The entire starting five was at the game alongside Meek Mill and Eagles ownership. I am not saying these guys aren’t professionals, but this is just a horrible spot for them as they are now forced to get up for the Orlando Magic.
Additionally, Joel Embiid has a questionable designation as of this writing. His 38 minutes against the Nuggets was the most minutes he has played in a game since Dec. 23. He also had his seventh-highest usage rate (42.4%) of the season and attempted the second-most shots (31) of any game he has played this year. He expended a lot of energy on Saturday and I wouldn’t be surprised if they look to rest him against weaker Magic team.
Even if you remove all the situational and injury analysis I still think this line is off at +10 as I have tremendous respect for this healthy Magic team. Through 356 possessions, their current starting five has a +9.9 net-rating and a ridiculous 125.8 Offensive Rating.
This team is legitimately talented and their bench-depth has only been further strengthened with the return of Jonathan Isaac. This team also may be slightly under-valued when compared to the 76ers as the Magic have played the league’s 11th-toughest schedule while the Sixers have faced the third-easiest schedule, according to Dunks And Threes.
Finally, the Magic have been remarkably elite at covering spreads against “good” teams. The Magic are 17-9 ATS (65%) against teams that currently rank top-15 in adjusted net-rating. I expect this Magic team to compete and have a chance to win so I grabbed them at +10.5 and +380 moneyline this morning.
The line has since moved but I would play their spread down to +8.5 and their moneyline to +330.
Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Matt Moore: Orlando has been great on the road as a dog this season, 12-8-3 ATS, and 8-6-1 as a double-digit dog.
The Sixers are typically great against bad teams, but Orlando's power rating is a little off based on how injured they were to start the season. Joel Embiid will feast and do his thing, the Sixers will absolutely win this game.
But I'll trust Orlando to hang in and keep this within range in a letdown spot for the Sixers after a huge win against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Joe Dellera: The Hawks face the Blazers tonight and one player I’m targeting is Clint Capela. Capela has had a strong history vs Jusuf Nurkic. In his last six games head-to-head, Capela has averaged 14.0 points and 12.2 rebounds with five double doubles.
This is a good spot for Capela even though this is a tougher travel spot going from Atlanta to Portland, but Capela has recorded three consecutive double doubles.
Nurkic is listed as questionable due to a calf injury and he missed the team’s last game on Saturday. I like this spot even if Nurkic plays; however, if he sits, this becomes an even better play as their next best option at center is Drew Eubanks.
