The Orlando Magic are putting followers of the NBA on notice. More crucially, their opponents are up against a vastly superior unit compared to past seasons. Don’t look now, but heading into Tuesday’s action, Jamahl Mosley’s group is currently 12-5 and trail the Boston Celtics by a single game. The same Celtics they confidently defeated last Friday.

What is happening in Orlando? Why is this team so good and what does it mean for betters? Let’s discuss.

As always, check out our NBA odds for tons of basketball action.

Orlando’s Magical Defence

Head coach Jamahl Mosley is working his third year with the Floridian club. His biggest contribution – and by extension that of the players – is instilling a sense of defensive responsibility. Today’s NBA is a shooter’s game. The three-point shot (heavy emphasis on this), how fouls are called for an “and one”, mid-range jumpers, all this and more is leading to phenomenally high-scoring games. This is old news.

If the shooters in today’s game excel at their job – and many do – then the idea in Orlando is to limit the number of tries they get. A good shooter is going to get their buckets, there isn’t much one can do about it. But if one minimizes the number of takes, suddenly the damage inflicted is mitigated.

To that point, the Magic have significantly improved the number of times the opposition tries to score a basket. For the 2022-2023 season, the team allowed 86.9 field goal attempts per match. This year, through 17 games, that figure has dropped to 83.6. If those are threes, that’s 9.9 points off the board. Even if those are twos, it’s still 6.6 points less. The bigger picture is the points conceded per match. This year’s version of the Orlando Magic is only allowing 107.3 points a night, compared to 114 points a year ago.

Magic Touch: Rounding

Rebounds play a critical role in how a game plays out, and in that regard, the Magic have improved as well. In 2022-2023, opponents corralled 42.0 boards a match, compared to this season’s average of 39.5. Rivals are ensnaring fewer defensive rebounds too, meaning more second chances for Orlando’s offence (32.5 versus 30.7).

This is crucial for a team that doesn’t have a single player averaging 20 points. PF Paolo Banchero comes closest with 19.8, then Franz Wagner with 19.5. After that, Cole Anthony tallies 15.0, Franz’s bother Moritz Wagner nets 12.5, and Jalen Suggs 12.4.

Suggs, for that matter, steals the ball 1.9 times a game. He’s currently ranked fifth in the NBA in that category. Don’t forget big man Goga Bitadze, who blocks 1.5 shots per tilt, putting him just inside the top 15 league-wide.

Sports Betting Magic, Spread, NBA Odds

Orlando Magic fans are having the time of their lives, but what about sports betters?

There are a few numbers to keep in mind before November 28’s NBA games get underway. First and foremost is the spread, that ever-important number that gets betters buzzing. Orlando is a superb 14-3 in that respect. Now, it’s important to consider a sub-stat of that overarching figure. Because the Magic entered the campaign as a forgettable bunch, they’ve been underdogs a lot. They’ve played 17 matches and have been dogs in 13 of them.

The question here is how much longer does that last? We shall see. That said, as long as oddsmakers continue to overlook them, they’re a very good bet ATS.

The next point, this one in relation to the club’s superb defence, is the over-under. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the over has, pardon the pun, underperformed at 8-9. Keep the under in mind.

A final note. This one is just for fun because it’s such a long shot. Their price tag to predict that they win it all this year is currently +12500. Can you imagine putting down $100 and coming away with $12600 because the Magic’s defence smothered the entire NBA? Insane. Again, we’re not necessarily encouraging this, but it’s a fun figure to keep in mind. As they say, defence wins championships.

Upcoming Orlando Magic Games

Some games to keep in mind for spreads and the over-under are back-to-back matches at home with the lowly Washington Wizards on Wednesday (Nov 29) and Friday (Dec 1). The Wizards may not have the sort of wand to control this sort of Magic.

On Saturday they head to Brooklyn to play the meandering 8-8 Nets.

Lastly, next Monday (Dec 4) they host the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s a game to take the under on if there ever was one.