Your milage with the NBA Cup might vary, but tonight presents the Magic with a golden opportunity to take a stranglehold of Group B in the Eastern Conference. Orlando has won five of its last seven games — including a 13-point victory in NBA Cup action last Friday against the Celtics — and the team has clawed its way back up to the .500 mark after a nightmarish start to the season.
As for the Nets? Well… The Nets also play basketball.
Let’s preview tonight’s game with the help of some of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Nets vs. Magic prediction, preview
I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest that the Magic had their biggest win of the season on Wednesday, dispatching the Knicks 124-107 at Madison Square Garden. The most impressive part? Former first-overall pick Paolo Banchero only logged 12.0 minutes in that victory before exiting with a groin strain. Banchero has already been ruled out for this evening’s contest and will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis moving forward.
With Orlando’s team-leader in usage rate (27.4%) unavailable, more responsibility shifted towards Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane, with the latter finally responding and looking solid in a Magic uniform. Bane had arguably his best performance in 2025-26 — admittedly a low bar — registering 22 points with a season-high eight assists. Bane also hit three of his six three-point attempts, just the second time in his 12 starts that the 27-year-old made at least three shots from distance, and the first time since the opening contest of the regular season. Considering Bane was specifically brought in to stretch the floor for a roster that ranked dead-last in three-point shooting percentage last season, it was probably a sight for sore eyes for Magic executives and the coaching staff.
Bane should be able to build off that positive showing on Friday, as Orlando will welcome Brooklyn to the Kia Center. While there’s technically a couple viable options, to me, the Nets are pretty clearly the worst team in the NBA at the moment, sitting with a single win across their first 11 games. Brooklyn comes into tonight’s tilt allowing a league-worst 126.3 opponent points per 100 possessions, and that’s translated into the second-worst net rating in the NBA (-14.8).
Things have been even more dour since the Nets lost the services of Cam Thomas to a left hamstring strain. Though Thomas is far from a perfect player, is his a microwave scorer, and Brooklyn’s only averaged 104.7 points per game since their point guard went down. It’s a three-contest span where the Nets have also been outscored by a whopping 21.5 points per 100 possessions. There’s a reason that the Magic 13.5-point favorites this evening on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Nets vs. Magic pick, best bet
Best Bet: Desmond Bane 7+ Assists (+114)
Without even factoring in the matchup or the added offensive burden with Banchero sidelined, Bane’s hit this prop in three of his last four starts. At 23.3%, he has the second-highest assist rate on the Magic. Brooklyn also surrenders a league-high 31.0 opponent assists per contest.
