Getty Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic drives against by Davis Bertans #42 of the San Antonio Spurs during the game at Amway Center on December 19, 2018 in Orlando, Florida.
The Orlando Magic return home for a must-win game against the Dallas Mavericks. The Magic have lost their last two but they’re just one game behind the Heat for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference while the Mavericks have dropped three straight.
Friday, March 8 at 7:00 PM ET
Amway Center
Coverage: NBA League Pass
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by BetOnline
- Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic (-7 at -110)
- Over/Under: 214.5 at -110
Recent Takeaways
The #Magic are 3-3 after the All Star Break.
Wins:
Toronto
Golden State
Indiana
Losses:
Knicks
Bulls
Cavs
Go freaking figure.
The Mavericks are coming off a 132-123 road loss against the Wizards last Wednesday. Luka Doncic led the team with 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, Dwight Powell scored a career-high 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, less than a week after achieving his previous career-high of 24 points and Justin Jackson finished with 18 points off the bench on 6 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range but the Wizards outrebounded the Mavericks 49-39 and outscored them 18-4 on fast break points.
The Magic have been inconsistent after the All-Star break and it’s hard to know what to expect from them, they seem to play to the level of their competition, as they beat the Raptors, Warriors and Pacers while losing to the Bulls, Knicks and Cavaliers.
Orlando was able to put up a fight in Philadelphia last Wednesday, Nikola Vucevic pulled them to 101-99 in the fourth quarter but they missed five straight shots and eventually lost 114-106. Evan Fournier scored 25 points and Aaron Gordon had 24 but the series of missed shots late cost them.
X-Factor
Aaron Gordon has to step up for the Magic tonight, last month I witnessed first hand how much talent he has and he’s playing well as of late, averaging 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 36.8 minutes over the last five games.
Gordon needs to take over this contest, he scored just 10 points on 4 of 15 from the field and 2 for 6 from 3-point range, grabbing just three rebounds when the Mavs crushed the Magic 101-76 on December 10 and a similar performance won’t help his team get a much-needed win.
Mavericks vs. Magic Trends and Prediction
The Magic’s upcoming stretch will just about make or break their playoff hopes. Six of the next eight at home. Seven straight games against teams under .500.
Time to start beating the teams they’re supposed to beat…
The Dallas Mavericks are:
- 1-8 ATS in their last nine games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game
- 1-8 ATS in their last nine games overall
- 1-8 ATS in their last nine games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game
- 0-5 ATS in their last five road games
The Orlando Magic are:
- 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS loss
- 5-1 ATS in their last six home games
- 7-2 ATS in their last nine games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game
- 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game
This is it for the Magic, they have to win this game if they want to make the playoffs, the Mavericks beat them 101-76 in the first meeting in Dallas and they have to come out looking for payback at home. The Mavs are just 6-26 on the road and they have nothing to play for while the Magic need this win so they will start the game strong.
Pick: Magic 1st Half -4
READ NEXT: Pistons vs. Bulls Prediction: Betting Odds, Line & Pick