Knicks Set to Unveil Game-Changing Magic Secrets That Could Rewrite NBA History

So here we are again — Magic vs. Knicks at 7:00 ET, and if you asked me whether Orlando’s magic is more Houdini or David Copperfield these days, I’d say it’s closer to a disappearing act. After that buzzer-beater from Desmond Bane sent Portland packing last Monday, you gotta wonder: can the Magic keep conjuring up surprises, or will the Knicks’ homecourt hustle grind their spells to dust? Orlando’s still trying to figure out their groove — juggling potential superstars and awkward isolation plays — while the Knicks, under fresh coaching, are banking on their home cooking and a well-rested squad to keep the momentum rolling. It’s a clash of curiosities, with rest, travel, and shots all weighing heavily on the outcome. So, will the Knicks continue to stake their claim at home, or will the Magic pull another rabbit from the hat? Tune in and see which storyline unfolds tonight. LEARN MORE.

Magic vs. Knicks, 7:00 ET

I wrote about the NBA on Monday and it was a pretty good result. We went 1-1 overall, but there were two leans that I suggested, and hopefully you played them both as both cashed. The one loss that we took was on the Portland Trail Blazers +2.5. How did that loss happen? Well, Desmond Bane of the Orlando Magic hit a game winning three-pointer at the buzzer resulting in a three-point victory for the Magic. If they hit a two from anywhere on the court, Portland covers and we go 2-0. Either way, I hinted at this play on Monday as I was looking ahead. Let’s get a victory tonight as the Magic take on the Knicks.

The Magic were a team that generated some buzz before the season began. Right now, they are middling and are just 5-6 for the season with a 2-3 record on the road. Their addition of the aforementioned Bane has been fine, but hasn’t really jumpstarted the offense as people expected it would. This is a Magic team with a lot of good pieces. Paolo Banchero seems like he is a potential superstar, but the main question is if he is a true #1 option or if he is a #1B. Franz Wagner is a good secondary option, and Bane is a great third. They work hard on defense, but their offense revolves a lot on isolation, and none, outside of Bane are what I would consider good shooters. I do think the Magic will get it together sooner rather than later, but right now they are definitely trying to figure out their offense. At their best, Orlando will be holding teams to around 100 points and putting up 110. At their worst, they are likely to be in a similar situation to right now. They are allowing 115 points per game to opponents, but they are scoring 115 as well, which makes sense given their current record.

The Knicks are somewhat picking up where they left off from last season. They have a new head coach after they sent Tom Thibodeau away after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season. In fairness, he did run his starters into the ground. However, the Knicks handled the search terribly. Either way, they have a good one at the helm with Mike Brown. For the year, the Knicks are off to a good start, going 7-3. A lot of that success should be attributed to them having seven home games of their first 10 (it will be nine of 12) games. Their three losses all came on the road, but at home, they’ve won each game by at least eight points. They are in the second half of a back-to-back having beaten the Grizzlies last night. I’m not crazy about how long the Knicks starters played in the game – with four of the five getting at least 32 minutes. They are still without Mitchell Robinson, but the team is probably at their best when Josh Hart is on the floor and Robinson is off of it anyway.

Orlando does have a rest advantage, but this is still their fourth game in six nights, and they had to travel for this game. Not only do they have to travel, but they are traveling for just one game, then going back home for Friday’s game. To make it worse, they go back on the road after the next game. These are good spots to fade the away team. The Knicks are locked in at home and should be very efficient on offense given that they’ve been at home for so many straight games. Their sight lines should be good for shooting. Aside from the rest advantage, and maybe height, the Magic have no edge in this game. Give me the Knicks for multiple units -4.5.

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