[NBA December 24, 2022] San Antonio Spurs vs Orlando Magic

December 23, 2022

San Antonio Spurs vs Orlando Magic

Venue: Amway Center
Prediction: Orlando Magic
Bookmaker: 1xbet

 

The San Antonio Spurs are scheduled to play the Pelicans in the Big Easy last Thursday night so they will play the second game of back-to-back games here. The Spurs entered Thursday at 10-20 for fourth in the Southwest Division, nine games behind the Grizzlies. They are five games behind Minnesota for the playoffs.

The San Antonio Spurs have gone 1-4 in the second of back-to-back games this season and are averaging 11.8 points in those games. The Spurs are 5-8 on the road going into Thursday night and are on the season with a minus-8.9-point differential. The San Antonio Spurs are 6-3 on the year against teams in the Eastern Conference and have a point differential of -4.5 points per game.

Orlando beat Houston on the road Wednesday night for their seventh win in eight games. The Magic are 12-21, entering Thursday for 4th in the Southeast Division, 4.5 games beyond the Heat & Hawks for the top spot.

They are 13th in the Eastern Conference standings and 2.5 games behind the Raptors for the final playoff berth. Against Houston, Orlando Magic trailed 20-6 midway through the 1st quarter but cut the deficit to six pts by the end of the quarter.

The Magic trailed by ten at halftime and 15 with 8:24 left in the third quarter before regrouping. Orlando Magic cut the deficit to two after three quarters, followed by four early in the fourth quarter. The Magic put up an 11-3 run with 5:11 left to take a 102-98 lead and didn’t get more than two points behind the Rockets after that. Orlando shot 45.1 percent from the field, including 11 of 37 from 3-point range, and caused 16 turnovers in the game. Franz Wagner led the Magic with 25 points in the win.

Orlando Orlando has been playing well lately, going 7-1 in their last eight after going 5-20 in their first 25 games. The Magic have a day off at home here, while the Spurs must play here for a second straight night. We’ve seen the struggles of the San Antonio Spurs on the road, and their defense has been terrible this season. Given the injury issues that could keep Johnson out for the Spurs again and the momentum Orlando is bringing to them, it’s hard to like this visiting team. Let Orlando have the upper hand, as they have a home win in their last nine games to enter Christmas with eight wins.

[NBA December 24, 2022] Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics

 

Team Comparison
TEAM W L PCT HOME ROAD EAST WEST DIV PF PA STRK
San Antonio Spurs 10 20 .333 5-12 5-8 6-3 4-17 2-3 110.3 119.5 Won 1
Orlando Magic 12 21 .364 8-9 4-12 7-16 5-5 2-4 109.6 113.2 Won 1

 

Offensive Stats
TEAM PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% FT% 3PT%
San Antonio Spurs 110.3 42.5 27.4 7.10 4.20 46.51 72.70 34.63
Orlando Magic 109.6 43.5 21.6 6.61 5.03 46.61 80.44 34.27