Knicks vs Magic Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, March 23rd

Check out our free Knicks vs Magic pick and preview for this NBA game in Orlando. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Knicks vs Magic NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: New York Knicks at Orlando Magic
Where: Orlando at Amway Center
Date: Thursday, March 23rd
Betting Odds ORL +3, NY -151 | ORL +127 O/U 230.0

So far, the Knicks have put together an overall record of 42-32, while going 41-32-1 vs the spread. New York will take the court having lost 2 straight games. The team has an average scoring margin of -6.5 in these matchups.

New York is trying to bounce back from a 127-120 loss to the Heat. Going into this game, the team was 2 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. New York was not able to turn things around in the 2nd half, as they trailed the Heat by 7 going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was RJ Barrett, as he contributed 26 points while hitting 61.5% of his shots.

So far, the Magic have put together an overall record of 30-43, while going 40-32-1 vs the spread. Against the spread, Orlando has a mark of 3-0. Straight up, their record is 2-1 in these games.

In their previous game, the Magic took down the Wizards by a score of 122-112. Not only did they come away with a straight up win, but they also covered the spread as 1 point favorites. Although Orlando held just a 4 point lead at half, they put together a strong second half on their way to a 10 point victory. In the win, Gary Harris led the team in scoring with 22 points on a field goal percentage of 70.0%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Knicks picked up the 115-102 win over the Magic. The Knicks point margin of victory was enough to cover the spread as 7.5 point favorite. So far this season, the Knicks have a record of 2-0 vs the Magic. Similar to their season-long average, the Knicks averaged 110.25 points per game vs the Magic. Just like the Knicks, the Magic maintained their usual level of scoring in head-to-head matchups, averaging 99.5 points per game vs New York. The Knicks have had the better record vs the spread over the last 5 games, going 3-2. The team’s average scoring margin in these contests sits at 7 points per game. A combined average of 207 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 1-4.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Through 74 games, New York is averaging 115.4 points per game (14th). So far, the Knicks are averaging 97.6 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. Their slower style of play has created fewer offensive opportunities, leading to them being ranked 19th in fields goals made per contest.

Against the Magic, the Knicks will look to continue their strong defensive play. For the year, they are the 6th ranked unit at 106.6 points per game.

On offense, Julius Randle leads the Knicks in scoring at 25.5 points per game, placing him 19th in the NBA. Overall, Randle has hit 46.1% of his shots while accounting for 21.0% of the team’s looks from the field. In today’s game, he will be working against a defensive unit that is 15th in points allowed to power-fowards. At 23.8 points per game, Jalen Brunson is the 2nd leading scorer for the Knicks. For the season, he is 42nd in the league in player efficiency rating, while posting a field goal percentage of 48.9%.

For the season, the Magic offensive unit is ranked just 26th in scoring at 111.7 points per contest. Coming into today’s game, the Magic will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.6 made 3’s per game. If the Orlando offense is going to turn things around, not only do they need to improve their outside shooting but they must do a better job protecting the ball. Currently, they are averaging 14.3 turnovers per game.

Defensively, Orlando has had its problems giving up an average of 112.23 points per game (20th).

This season, the Magic offense has primarily worked through Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 72 games, Wagner is 64th in the NBA at 18.8 points per game. So far, him and Banchero have accounted for 34% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 38.8 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Paolo Banchero is grabbing 6.7 rebounds for Orlando to go along with 3.7 assists.