Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets Preview and Prediction (3/3/23)
Moneyline: Magic -155, Hornets +135
Spread: Magic -3.5, Hornets +3.5
Total: 227.5
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets Betting Odds Breakdown
The Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Hornets will be meeting up on Friday for a game in Charlotte.
Orlando is coming into this game as the favorite at -3.5 and the over/under is sitting at 227.5 points. Along with that, the moneyline is at -155 for Orlando and +135 for Charlotte.
Orlando Magic Preview
Orlando is coming off of a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, and they will try to bounce back against the Charlotte Hornets.
Orlando has had a rough season so far, as they are sitting at 26-37 on the season. The Magic have not been a great team this season, but it looks like they do have the advantage over the Hornets in this game. In this game, it’s possible that the Magic could have a very good defensive game. Their defense has been alright this season, with them being 16th in the league in defensive efficiency, while the Hornets have been terrible offensively this season, as they are 29th in the league in offensive efficiency. Although their defense could play well in this game, they need to be ready for Charlotte.
For the Orlando Magic, it seems like they could have a pretty solid night defensively. After the Hornets got the horrible news of LaMelo Ball suffering a fractured right ankle on Monday night against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. Now that the Hornets have lost their primary ball handler being out for the rest of the season, that will restrict them on offense, which the Orlando Magic should be able to take advantage of on defense.
Charlotte Hornets Preview
The Hornets have had a rough time this season, and they are sitting at 14th in the eastern conference.
Throughout this whole season, the Charlotte Hornets have not played well at all, and in this one, the biggest question for them is going to be their offense, as said above. Their offense is 29th in the league when it comes to offensive efficiency, and they are 23rd in the league when it comes to points scored per game. And with LaMelo Ball out now, their offense definitely won’t get much better.
The Hornets haven’t been playing too poorly recently, as they are 5-1 in their last six games. The return of Kelly Oubre Jr. could be a reason for that, as he was out for an extended period of time with a hand sprain. Either way, it’s probably too late for them to make a comeback in the standings before the playoffs start. But for now, they have been playing some alright basketball, and they should have a chance in this one.
Winner Prediction: Orlando Magic -3.5
After Charlotte got the news that LaMelo Ball fractured his ankle, it’s going to be very difficult for Charlotte to win.
With Ball out, this should be a game that the Orlando Magic are able to take over the Charlotte Hornets.
