Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics blew out the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, and they’re looking to get back to .500 in the 2025-26 season on Friday in an NBA Cup matchup with the Orlando Magic.

It’s been a slow start to the season for Orlando, which lost its last game to the Atlanta Hawks to fall to 3-5. Orlando and Boston will face off in back-to-back games, one on Friday and one on Sunday, as they look to improve their respective spots in the Eastern Conference standings.

Even with Desmond Bane in the fold, Orlando is just 23rd in the league in offensive rating this season, and it may have trouble with a Boston team that is starting to find a groove on offense, shooting the ball a ton from 3 (seventh in the NBA in made 3s per game, first in attempts). The Magic, on the other hand, are just 28th in the NBA in 3s made per game. 

Oddsmakers have Orlando favored at home in this matchup, but how should we bet on it?

Here’s a look at the latest odds, my favorite prop bet and a prediction for Friday’s NBA Cup clash.  

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Moneyline

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Celtics Injury ReportMagic Injury Report

Note: These player prop predictions were made before odds were released and are based on past player performance. 

Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet

Celtics star Jaylen Brown scored 35 points in 25:53 against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, shooting 13-for-21 from the field in the process.

This season, Brown is averaging 27.7 points per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from 3. He’s taken 18 or more shots in all but two of his games this season, giving him a terrific floor when it comes to any scoring prop. 

I expect Brown to handle a major workload against an Orlando team that is just 14th in the league in defensive rating so far this season.

Both of these teams have struggled against the spread this season, as the C’s are just 3-6 and the Magic are just 2-6. Plus, both squads are under .500 despite entering the season with win total projections that had them over .500.

Still, there’s no doubt that Orlando has been the more disappointing team, ranking 19th in the league in net rating despite being projected to win 50-plus games this season. The team has yet to mesh with Desmond Bane on offense, and it’s posted one of the worst offensive ratings (and 3-point percentages) in the league as a result.

Boston is shooting just 31.9 percent from 3 this season, but it takes and makes a ton of shots from deep, keeping the team’s offense afloat. Plus, Brown has been one of the best players in the league through the first few weeks, scoring at will and efficiently. 

I’m going to take the points with the C’s in this game, as I’m not sold on the Orlando offense being good enough to win this game by a wide margin. The Magic have an average scoring margin of -1.4 this season while Boston is up at +4.0. 

With this spread outside of one possession, the C’s are worth a look in this NBA Cup battle. 

Pick: Celtics +4.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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