Orlando Magic vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 04/11/2023, 03:20  by Joseph King | Modified on 04/11/2023 at 03:20 in NBA Predictions

Saturday night in the NBA sees an inter-conference matchup as the 3-2 LA Lakers head to Florida to take on the 3-2 Orlando Magic. The Lakers are coming off a morale-boosting 130-125 overtime victory against city rivals the Clippers. The Purple and Gold overcame a 13-point first quarter deficit in large part thanks to a vintage performance from LeBron James. Now 38-years-old, the King racked up 35 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 42 minutes of action. It was the team’s second straight win as they now move one game above .500 on the season. Los Angeles should be well-rested for this one, despite the cross country trip as the aforementioned win over the Clippers was on Wednesday. These two teams faced off for the first time last Monday with the Lakers earning a 106-103 home win. LA shot 53% from the field in that contest but only 29% from three.

Orlando return home after a four game west coast road trip. This will be their first home game since the season opener where they won 116-87 over the Rockets. The Magic edged out a close win over the Jazz 115-113 to split their road trip 2-2. Orlando put up a good fight in their first meeting with the Lakers in Hollywood. They’ll now be hoping their home court advantage at the Amway Center will give them the needed boost to exact revenge over the 2019/20 champions. The Magic’s young core is developing nicely and will be eyeing up a playoff challenge this season. They are one of the surprisingly strong defensive sides early on this year. However, they lost key defensive anchor Wendell Carter Jr. to injury in the loss against the Jazz.