DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>, Orlando is favored by 6.5 points, and this game carries a total of O\/U 217.5 points.<\/p>\nLet\u2019s dive into my preview and pick for the game.<\/p>\n
Bucks vs. Magic Preview<\/p>\n
After getting blown out by the Celtics and the Hawks, the Bucks finally got on the board with Giannis Antetokounmpo back in the lineup last night vs. the Jazz, defeating Utah 113-99. The former MVP finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and finished a +23 in the boxscore. Milwaukee didn\u2019t have to travel, but the club is right back in action tonight vs. the Magic, and unfortunately, Antetokounmpo will be out for rest purposes, as he just returned from a 15-game absence due to a hamstring injury three games ago. Kevin Porter Jr. (knee) has also been ruled out.<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo and Porter Jr. are the Bucks\u2019 leading scorers this season, averaging 23.3 and 16.2 PPG, respectively, so these two being out puts Milwaukee at a huge disadvantage. The Bucks are 2-8 with both Antetokounmpo and Porter Jr. inactive this season. In the last two games they have played without these two, the Bucks have lost by 29 points to the Knicks and 23 points to the Bulls, who had lost 11 straight before that matchup.<\/p>\n
Kyle Kuzma (back) is also questionable, so the Bucks could be without another one of their scorers. Milwaukee should rely on Ryan Rollins, Bobby Portis and Myles Turner. The Bucks and Magic split a mini series of back-to-back games between the clubs last month, but Porter Jr. played in both those matchups, and with him missing tonight, things could get ugly for Milwaukee against this Orlando team that is suddenly playing well.<\/p>\n
Orlando has been very up-and-down this season, but the club still is the No.6 seed in the Eastern Conference, and since the All-Star break, the Magic are 6-3 and rank seventh in net rating, despite Franz Wagner (ankle) missing all these games. The wing still is without a timetable for a return, but Orlando appears to be finally figuring out how to play without Wagner.<\/p>\n
Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane are both averaging around 25 PPG since the All-Star break, and the Magic are back to playing strong defense, ranking seventh in defensive rating during this stretch. Orlando has won three in a row, including a 119-92 road win over the Timberwolves last night. The Magic were a 6.5-point underdog for this matchup, so this was a very impressive win for the club.<\/p>\n
The Magic and Bucks both have been strong on the second night of back-to-back sets this season, with 6-2 and 6-4 records, respectively, but overall, Orlando is in a much better state right now.<\/p>\n
Bucks vs. Magic Pick, Best Bet<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to have any confidence in the Bucks without Antetokounmpo and Porter Jr., and the ascending Magic should get a win tonight, possibly with ease.<\/p>\n
Orlando deserves to be favored by more than 6.5 points, and backing the team to cover is a no-brainer.<\/p>\n
Best Bet: Magic -6.5 (-102)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alex Hunter breaks down his preview, prediction and pick for Sunday\u2019s NBA matchup between the Bucks and Magic.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":183425,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":{"0":"post-183424","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-orlando","9":"tag-orlando-headlines","10":"tag-orlando-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}