The Magic are hosting the Celtics on Sunday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Orlando is favored by 3.5 points and this game carries a total of 227.5 points.
Below, I break down this matchup and provide a pick for the game.
Magic vs. Celtics preview, prediction
This matchup is the second game of back-to-back tilts between the Magic and Celtics in Orlando. In the first leg of this miniseries Friday, the Magic defeated the Celtics 123-110. Orlando led by as many as 16 points, but Boston came back and had a lead in the fourth quarter, but let it slip away with some poor late game decisions.
The Celtics and Magic were very even in most categories, but Orlando simply shot the ball better than Boston, especially from deep. In the win, the Magic shot 47.2% on three-pointers, while the Celtics shot 35.2%.
Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane led Orlando with 27 and 22 points, respectively. Paolo Banchero also finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Wendell Carter Jr. posted a season-high 18 points. In the loss for Boston, Jaylen Brown continued to put up superstar numbers with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) sidelined, with Brown finishing with 32 points and nine rebounds. Additionally, Payton Pritchard scored 27 points, including going 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, which was an encouraging sign for the Celtics, as the guard uncharacteristically was shooting 22% on three-pointers before this game after shooting 40% a year ago. While Pritchard finally regained his deep shooting form, Derrick White unfortunately continued to struggle, finishing 1-of-6 on three-pointers. The guard scored 16 points, but White is shooting a career-worst 26% from distance this season and Boston desperately needs White to get on track with his outside shot.
Under coach Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics will always heavily rely on their three-point shooting, but this strategy hasn’t worked out well for Boston this season, with the club leading the NBA in three-point attempts per game (46.0), but ranking 27th in three-point percentage (32.2%). The Celtics are due for some positive regression in this department and if Boston can improve on its outside shooting Sunday, the Celtics will have a great chance to get revenge against this Magic team that has been a disappointment this season. Orlando and Boston both only have four wins apiece this season, but the Celtics rank 11th in net rating, while the Magic rank 18th.
Magic vs. Celtics pick, best bet
The Celtics have been excellent at bouncing back after a loss under Mazzulla and Boston should get back on track Sunday with a win. The Celtics are 24-6 following a defeat the last two seasons and attacking them for the upset with +130 ML odds on DraftKings Sportsbook has a ton of merit Sunday.
