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The red-hot Orlando Magic visit the reeling Detroit Pistons on Thursday with a chance to overtake them in the playoff race.
The Magic have won their last six while the Pistons have lost three in a row and four of their last five, to fall to No. 7 in the Eastern Conference standings, just a half-game over the Magic.
Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 PM ET
Little Caesars Arena
Coverage: NBA League Pass
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by BetOnline
- Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons (-3.5 at -105)
- Over/Under: 207 at -110
Recent Takeaways
If you’re wondering why it’s raining…☔️
Last night we set a franchise record for most threes made in a season!
Nikola Vucevic finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds and Jonathan Issac had 19 points and six rebounds to help the Magic extend their longest winning streak in eight years to six games by beating Heat 104-99 last Tuesday.
D.J. Augustin added 17 points and seven assists and Aaron Gordon contributed with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Magic won the season series with the Heat 3-1 and moved past them into eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. Orlando outrebounded Miami 55-39 but was outscored 44-36 in the paint.
The Magic held the Heat to 16-for-44 from the floor (36.3 percent) and 6-for-21 from 3-point range (28.5 percent) in a 62-48 second half
Blake helping us chip away
The Pistons scored just nine points in the first quarter and trailed 66-39 at halftime before their comeback came up short in a 95-92 road loss against the Nuggets last Tuesday.
Blake Griffin had 29 points and 15 rebounds and Andre Drummond added 13 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out but the Pistons were just 36-for-102 (35.3 percent) from the field and 11-for-42 (26.2 percent) from 3-point range (Blake Griffin was 2-for-10).
X-Factor
There’s nothing like going to an #NBA game! #NBATwitter #PureMagic
Terrence Ross had just 10 points in 30 minutes against the Heat, going just 3-for-13 from the field (3-for-11 from beyond the arc) but he’s been a scoring catalyst off the bench for the Magic this season and he’s averaging 16.0 points and 5.0 rebounds on 46.2 shooting and 40.9 percent from 3-point range in three games against the Pistons this season.
Magic vs. Pistons Trends and Prediction
The Orlando Magic are:
- 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall
- 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games playing on one day of rest
- 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win
- 4-1 ATS in their last five games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game
The Detroit Pistons are:
- 9-19 ATS in their last 28 games against Southeast Division opponents
- 2-7 ATS in the last nine meetings
The Pistons lead the season series 2-1, including a 120-115 overtime home win on January 16, behind 30 points from Blake Griffin and 14 points and 22 rebounds from Andre Drummond.
Defense has carried the Magic to a 17-7 record since January 31st, ranking first in the NBA in categories like opponent field goal percentage, opponent three-point percentage, opponent points off turnovers, opponents second chance points and opponent fast break points, which are clear signs of the strides the team has made on that end of the floor.
The Magic have actually fared well in their three games against the Pistons this season despite being 1-2, they held double-digit leads in all three games and each contest was close.
Pick: Magic +3.5
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Magic vs. Pistons Prediction: Betting Odds, Line & Pick