Lakers vs. Magic Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
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Jeremy Perry
The Orlando Magic head into their Monday game with the Los Angeles Lakers in the midst of uncertainty. Head coach Steve Clifford has tested positive for COVID-19 but it’s unclear whether he – and other members of the team – will have to miss time. It’s probably safe to assume that Clifford won’t be on the sidelines. Given how Orlando has played recently, though, that might be a good thing. They’re hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday and will find themselves in tough to earn a win.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Lakers have done really well as an away favourite as they are 15-3 straight up and 11-7 against the spread. They should have a slight edge here as the Magic are in a back-to-back situation while the Lakers are rested.
The Orlando Magic have not fared well as an underdog this season. They are just 11-38 SU in that role and 22-27 ATS. They are also just 6-19 SU as a home dog and 10-15 ATS in that situation.
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles got a boost to the roster on Saturday when star Anthony Davis was able to return to the lineup. LeBron James is still out but getting one of the big two back was critical. The Lakers have been scuffling big-time as they were in the midst of a 7-11 run of games after a 28-13 start. AD’s return didn’t lead to any type of big turnaround, though, as the Lakers were blown out 108-93 by Dallas on Saturday night.a
The Lakers are trying to figure out how to adjust their roster in time for the playoffs. The arrival of Andre Drummond has meant that they’re using Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell a lot less. The latter got a surprising DNP on Saturday. In the back court, Ben McLemore was a surprise starter on Saturday with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope out. The Lakers are favoured in this game but they are in a funk, so be wary of laying points.
Orlando Magic
The Magic haven’t been able to get out of their own way of late. It’s hard to believe that this team was once 6-2 on the season because entering Sunday, they were on a 12-39 run since that start. More recently, they had lost four straight and 10 of 11 before their showdown with the Pacers.
Not much is going right for this team as they’ve dealt with injuries (Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac) and they’ve traded away three of their top four leading scorers (Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon). It’s not surprising to see that this team ranks second-last in scoring in the NBA with just 104.2 points per game. They’re actually doing worse of late as they are scoring just 102.6 over their last 11 contests.
As if morale for them wasn’t low enough already, they’re now dealing with a potential COVID-19 outbreak. There is just not much that’s going well for this squad.
LAL
ORL