Free NBA Picks Today: Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic 12/16/22

The Orlando Magic (9-20, 1-11 Away) will try to slow down the league’s top scoring team when they are on the road to face the Boston Celtics (22-7, 11-2 Home) on Friday. Orlando topped the Atlanta Hawks 135-124 at Amway Center on Wednesday, their fourth consecutive win. Franz Wagner was the top scorer with 24 points. Markelle Fultz chipped in with 16 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds.

The Magic are the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston got the win on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 122-118 in overtime. Jayson Tatum had 44 points, nine rebounds, and six assists to lead the team. The Celtics are the first seed in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks.It’s the last meeting of the season between the teams.

Boston will be looking for a season sweep against Orlando after coming out on top in the only previous matchup 126-120 at Amway Center on October 22, their ninth straight head-to-head victory. Tatum led the Celtics with 40 points and eight rebounds.

Terrence Ross had 29 points in the loss. Paolo Banchero and Wagner, averaging 21.7 and 19.9 points per game, respectively, are leading the Magic in scoring this season. Both are among the NBA’s top scorers, as Banchero is No. 1 and Wagner is first. Banchero also has dished 3.9 assists per game, most in the NBA.

Meanwhile, Bol Bol is grabbing 7.4 rebounds per game.Tatum (30.2 ppg) and Jaylen Brown (26.6) have powered the Celts’ offense. Tatum leads the league in scoring, while Brown is first. Tatum also has collected 8.3 rebounds per game, most in the league. Marcus Smart has distributed 7.2 assists per game.

The Celtics are the top scoring offense in the NBA with 119.4 points per game. The Celtics have found success in recent matchups between the teams at TD Garden, winning seven of the last 10. Orlando has dropped five straight away from home this season.

In the last 10 games, Orlando is 4-6 with an average margin of -5.3 (109.4-114.7). Boston has gone 7-3 over the last 10, scoring 118.6 points per game on average while holding opponents to 112.1 (+6.5 margin).

MAGIC HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Moritz Wagner: 24.0 | 16.9 | +7.1
Terrence Ross: 8.0 | 11.7 | -3.7
Rebounds per game:
Moritz Wagner: 7.4 | 5.5 | +1.9

CELTICS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Blake Griffin: 18.6 | 12.0 | +6.6
Derrick White: 11.2 | 16.0 | -4.8
Points per game:
Derrick White: 7.0 | 10.2 | -3.2
Rebounds per game:
Blake Griffin: 7.0 | 4.5 | +2.5
Assists per game:
Marcus Smart: 5.4 | 7.2 | -1.8