The Orlando Magic (5-11, 1-6 Away) will try to slow down one of the NBA’s top scoring teams when they head to face the Indiana Pacers (8-6, 4-3 Home) on Saturday. Both teams will be playing on back-to-back days.
The Magic are 0-1 without rest, while the Pacers are 2-0. Orlando squeaked by the Chicago Bulls 108-107 at United Center yesterday. With 21 points, Wendell Carter Jr. was the scoring leader. Franz Wagner chipped in with 20 points and eight assists. The Magic are 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Indiana won their third in a row yesterday at Toyota Center, beating the Houston Rockets 99-91. Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points, eight assists, and six rebounds to lead the team. The Pacers are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. It’s the first meeting of the season between the teams.
Orlando won two out of three games between the teams last season, although Indiana won 122-114 in overtime in the last meeting at Amway Center on March 2. Malcolm Brogdon led the Pacers with 31 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Wagner had 28 points in the loss.
The Magic have been led this season by Wagner and Carter Jr., who are averaging 18.7 and 16.6 points per game, respectively. Both are among the league’s top scorers, as Wagner is No. 1 and Carter Jr. is first. Carter Jr. also has grabbed 9.1 rebounds per game, most in the NBA, while Wagner has dished 4.6 assists per game, most in the league.
Haliburton (20.5 ppg), Bennedict Mathurin (19.6), and Buddy Hield (18.2) have powered the Pacers’ offense. Haliburton leads the league. Haliburton also has recorded 10.2 assists per game, most in the NBA. Meanwhile, Jalen Smith has posted 8.3 rebounds per game. The Pacers rank as one of the top scoring offenses in the NBA, third-best with 116.6 points per game.
The Magic have come up short in recent games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, losing six of the last 10. In the last 10 games, Orlando is 4-6 with an average margin of -2.6 (112.2-114.8). Indiana has gone 7-3 over the last 10, scoring 116.1 points per game on average while allowing 112.4 (+3.7 margin).
MAGIC HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Mo Bamba: 19.6 | 12.9 | +6.7
Rebounds per game:
Bol Bol: 10.6 | 8.0 | +2.6
PACERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Aaron Nesmith: 5.8 | 10.5 | -4.7
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Over 230.5 (-110)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NBA hub page for all your basketball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
