The Orlando Magic and the Detroit Pistons find themselves in similar places. Fueled by young cores, they took necessary steps in the playoffs last season. Their front offices made key additions in the offseason, hoping to take that next step this year. But the road to greatness is bumpy, and both squads have taken their lumps to start the year. There’s a lot of basketball left to play, but this early-season contest feels important.
The Pistons are 1.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re priced at -112 on the moneyline, while the Magic are -108 road underdogs. The total for this game is set at 226.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction and pick for this Magic vs. Pistons game.
Magic vs. Pistons prediction, preview
It’s been a strange start to the year for the Pistons. They’ve picked up some impressive wins, including a tight win over the Rockets, but have dropped a winnable game against the Bulls. The absence of Jaden Ivey has placed a lot of pressure on Cade Cunningham to manufacture all of the offense. While it’s taking a huge toll on his scoring efficiency, carrying the offense to this degree has been impressive. And their defenders have taken care of the rest.
Things have been even tougher for the Magic. After winning its season opener against the Heat, Orlando has dropped three straight against the Hawks, Bulls and Sixers. The hope was that Desmond Bane and improved health would finally bring a good offense to Orlando. Right now, they team ranks 25th in offensive rating per Cleaning the Glass. That won’t cut it as far as its contention hopes are concerned.
So we have two up-and-coming teams taking some early punches. What do we make of this game?
Magic vs. Pistons pick, best bet
There’s a lot of moving parts in Orlando. With how injury-riddled last year was, the core trio of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs are still learning how to play together. Now they’ve added another star to the mix in Bane. The growing pains have shown in the early going and are a large reason why they’ve lost three of the first four.
Meanwhile, Detroit has continuity. Duncan Robinson has been as close to a 1:1 replacement for Malik Beasley as they could have hoped. The injuries have hurt so far, but its trust in the internal development looks to be paying off. Jalen Duren is playing good ball, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II are a dynamic defensive duo, and Cunningham continues to grow as an offensive engine. I trust the Pistons to take care of business.
