The Thunder will have the best player in the court in Russell Westbrook, but he will need to get enough help to pull out the win. While the Magic are among the league’s worst teams, a home game against a beatable opponent leaves some intrigue in this one.
Orlando would be better-served to lose when it comes to the draft lottery but the players won’t be thinking that. This could actually be a pretty competitive showdown.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, March 29, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The game will be televised live on NBATV.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Thunder are 41-30 straight up and 40-31 against the spread. Oklahoma City is 14-21 straight up on the road this season compared to 27-10 at home. The Thunder has covered in 15 of 34 attempts on the road this year. It is 29-14 against the spread as the favorite and figures to be giving points against Orlando.
The Magic is 27-46 straight up and 29-42-2 against the spread on the season. Orlando has not been good attempting to cover at home this season, going only 11-24-2 in this attempts. The Magic is 26-30 against the spread as the underdog this season.
Lookahead Situation
The Thunder will follow this one up with a contest against the San Antonio Spurs at home. That’s a titanic matchup and once that could be a preview of a playoff rematch.
Oklahoma City plays so well at home that it could very well win that matchup, and the focus should be strong there. However, the game against Orlando comes first, and it’s the final game of a three-day road trip.
This is a dangerous game for Oklahoma City. If it’s not completely in tune, the Magic is playing well enough to pull off this upset. It should be evident early on if the Thunder has enough energy and focus in this contest.
Player to Watch
Elfrid Payton -- The Magic’s young guard has really turned up his play of late. He is still learning the NBA game but has really shown his potential with four triple-doubles in the month of March. Payton is the youngest player to do that since LeBron James registered four as a 22-year-old in 2007.
Payton had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists last time out in a win over the Detroit Pistons. He is averaging 12.4 points, 6.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds per contest. The Magic have won three of their past four games and much of the recent improvement can be tied to Payton, who is coming on strong.
He needs to have another good performance to give his team a shot against the Thunder.
Free NBA ATS Pick
Oklahoma City should get another huge game from Westbrook, who is averaging a triple-double on the season and is among the favorites for MVP. Payton must be able to keep up so that the Magic isn’t demolished in that matchup.
Orlando doesn’t have a great record but has been playing better of late. Add that to the fact that the Thunder don’t play very well on the road, and this one could be ripe for an upset.
Choose the Magic to knock off Oklahoma City behind another big game from Payton. The scoring total is another number to watch as there may not be a ton of points in this matchup.
NBA Odds: Magic 105, Thunder 102
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