Magic vs. Bucks Odds
| Magic Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-1 -108 | 215.5 -110 / -110 | -108 |
| Bucks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+1 -112 | 215.5 -110 / -110 | -108 |
Here's everything you need to know about Magic vs. Bucks on Wednesday April 10 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.
The Knicks have moved up into third place in the East with just a handful of regular-season games remaining, and two interested parties will meet in a crucial battle for playoff seeding on Wednesday.
Orlando now sits a game behind New York in fourth, while Milwaukee finds itself with just a one-game hold on the second seed in the East — a position the team surely didn't expect to find itself in just a couple of weeks ago.
Can the Bucks build off a win over Boston to secure the second spot in the East and gain some form heading into the postseason?
Orlando Magic
The Magic couldn't have asked for a tougher way to close the season. After falling to the Rockets on Tuesday, they'll have two against the Bucks and one versus a re-energized Sixers team as they desperately try to climb up the standings in the Eastern Conference.
The good news here is that while Orlando hasn't exactly played its best basketball over the past two weeks, it's still managed to take care of business against the easy part of its schedule.
The Magic have taken a step back offensively by almost a point per 100 possessions off their season average over the last two weeks, but they've actually managed to improve by roughly a point, despite ranking lower than normal.
Orlando has fallen off a bit against the 3 during this period in time and has dipped significantly in the frontcourt by allowing 67.8% shooting at the rim.
The key to leveling out here is that the team stepped up against the mid-range shot after performing pretty poorly for most of the season, and it's also improved upon the second-best turnover rate in the NBA.
Offensively, the Magic have been especially focused on getting to the rim over the last two weeks, despite converting on an unseasonably-low 62.2% of looks. That, in chorus with more struggles from outside the arc, has created a much weaker-looking team.
One thing to watch for here will be the status of Franz Wagner, who's absolutely vital to this team and missed his first game in nearly three months when he sat out due to a right ankle sprain on Tuesday. He was listed as questionable for that tilt, so it's very possible he'll play in this one.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks managed to stop a four-game slide with a win over the Celtics on Tuesday, but that came against a Boston side that was missing both Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.
Predictably, the Bucks dominated the Celtics, 40-34, in the paint and out-rebounded the Celtics 49-38, something that's unlikely to happen again when they face one of the best frontcourts in the league on Wednesday.
While a win is a win, the injury report here is something of a mixed bag. Giannis Antetokounmpo, listed as questionable prior to the game with a hamstring issue, managed to play but was helped off the floor after just 29 minutes of action due to a calf issue.
The potential absence of Antetokounmpo certainly trumps all, but in positive news, Patrick Beverley returned from a three-game absence to pour in 20 points and Khris Middleton — who was also questionable after he was limited to just 13 minutes against the Knicks — played 33 minutes and went for 12 points, six boards and nine assists.
It's hard to anticipate Giannis playing here after suffering a scary-looking non-contact injury, particularly with the Bucks already guaranteed a playoff spot.
Even with Antetokounmpo, however, this team has looked incredibly flat over the last two weeks, ranking 17th in Net Rating with depressed numbers on both sides of the ball.
Magic vs. Bucks
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Bucks finally seemed to be building some momentum heading into the last few games of the season prior to the injury to Antetokoumpo, but as we noted, that was a game that came against a very shorthanded frontcourt.
The Magic have been one of the best in the league at rebounding and defending at the rim. While they've experienced a slight drop-off in production, they'll now face a Bucks team that likely won't have one of the best players in the world at getting to the rim and scoring the ball.
The rebounding battle between these two teams this year has been a near dead-heat, with the Magic snatching away one more board in the season series. But in a surprising twist, it's the Magic who've managed to score more in the paint over those two games.
They also won the turnover battle in both games by a very comfortable margin, and that's going to be a big story here. Orlando has been elite at forcing turnovers, and the Bucks have averaged roughly one more turnover per 100 possessions in the last two weeks to rank in the bottom half of the league.
Even if Antetokoumpo survives the scare and suits up, I think there are too many concerns here for the Bucks with the way both of these teams have played in the last two weeks.
On top of that, even an in-form Bucks team is up against an opponent that can take away the two advantages that they normally have against the rest of the league (interior scoring and rebounding).
I'll take Orlando to win.
