Orlando Magic vs Golden State Warriors Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 26/03/2024, 14:24  by Joseph King | Modified on 27/03/2024 at 01:56 in NBA Predictions

The Eastern Conference’s fifth-place Orlando Magic host the West’s 10th-placed Golden State Warriors on Wednesday evening. There’s been a bit of a role-reversal for these two teams this season compared to the status quo over the previous decade. This is only the second time in the past 11 seasons that Orlando has had a winning record while the 2022 champion Warriors, who won four NBA championships in an eight-year stretch, are looking like they are nearing the end of their dynastic run.

Orlando sits fifth in the Eastern Conference in what has been a phenomenal regular season so far. They’ve amassed a 42-29 record and have already secured their first season over .500 since the 2018/19 campaign. The hosts are coming off a tough 109-107 home defeat to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, a rare loss for them at the Kia Center. It was the first defeat for Jamahl Mosley’s team in this current eight-game home stand and also snapped a five-game winning run. The Magic’s success this season has come thanks to a stout defense which ranks third in opponent points per game (108.8) and third in adjusted defensive rating (111.4).

Golden State is battling for a spot in the play-in tournament as their 37-34 record has them sitting 10th in the West standings. It’s going to be a tight battle for that final play-in spot as we approach the end of the regular season with the 11th-place Rockets just a game behind the Dubs. The Warriors come into this game following an excellent 113-92 away win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday evening. They’ll have to deal with the fatigue that comes with playing on back-to-back nights as well as this being their third game in four days. The only upshot is that they'll at least avoid extensive travel as it’s only a one-hour flight from South Beach to Orlando.