The final two spots of the NBA Playoffs will be determined on Friday night as the Charlotte Hornets take on the Orlando Magic and the Golden State Warriors travel to Phoenix to play the Suns. Let's dive into both of these games for some NBA picks and best bets on the night for Hornets vs. Magic.
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Friday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions: Hornets vs. Magic
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic
Charlotte is buzzing after a thrilling overtime win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday. It continued a hot run for the Hornets in the second half of the season and brings them just one win away from their first playoff appearance in 10 years. Friday night they will travel to Orlando to take on the Magic. Orlando is coming off a putrid offensive performance against the 76ers in which they shot just 40.7% from the floor and 25.9% from deep.
The eye test would tell you that Charlotte is likely the pick in this game, but have they been overpriced? Charlotte has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA in the second half of the season but they've feasted on some less than stellar opponents. They needed an injury to Miami's best player, Bam Adebayo, to eek out a win at home in overtime. However, this is a really good matchup for Charlotte.
In the last three games between these divisional foes, Charlotte has won and won easily. Their offense has averaged 124.7 PPG on 51.0% shooting and proven too much for Orlando. Defense was a calling card for the young Magic over the last few years but dropped off significantly this year. Although they continued to rebound the ball well defensively, they were below league average in eFG% defense and FTrt defense. This has allowed strong offenses to have their way against Orlando.
The way the Magic fell off down the stretch against Philadelphia on Wednesday encapsulated a lot of what we saw from them all season long. This is a team that relied on defense the last few years and made moves this offseason to improve the offense. Unfortunately the shooting didn't improve how they hoped and the defense took a step back. Charlotte is a scrappy, talented, and hungry team that has shown that they can beat this Magic team.
Pick: Hornets -3.5 (-105)
