Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics Prediction, 12/16/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics

Date: Friday, December 16, 2022

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics will try to defeat the Orlando Magic at TD Garden on Friday.

The Magic stepped onto the hardwood against the Hawks and notched a win by a score of 135-124 in their last game. Orlando wrapped up the game with a 50.5% FG percentage (47 of 93) and made 16 out of their 36 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Magic made 25 of their 30 shots for a percentage of 83.3%. When discussing rebounding, they earned 46 with 14 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 28 assists for the game while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and getting 10 steals. When talking about defense, Orlando allowed their opponent to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 44 of 88 shooting. Atlanta recorded 30 assists and had 2 steals in this matchup. Additionally, Atlanta pulled down 39 rebounds (11 offensive, 28 defensive) and had 6 blocks. Atlanta finished 88.9% from the charity stripe by knocking down 24 of their 27 shots. They knocked down 12 out of their 35 shots from beyond the arc. When talking about fouls, the Magic ended up finishing with 22 while the Hawks accumulated 21 fouls.

Franz Wagner is a player who was a major contributor in this game. He recorded 24 points on 7 out of 17 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 36 minutes and also grabbed 3 rebounds. Wagner ended up shooting 41.2% from the floor and also earned 4 dimes.

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Orlando enters this contest with a win-loss record of 9-20 on the year. They are averaging 109.1 pts per contest (28th in basketball) while connecting on 47.0% from the floor. The Magic are connecting on 34.4% from downtown (309 of 897) and 80.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Orlando is snagging 43.0 rebounds per game and has racked up 626 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 28th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 16.4 times per game and as a team are committing 21.3 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Magic are forcing their opponents into 13.6 turnovers every game and they draw 20.2 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 26th in basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 738 surrendered for the season. The Magic are giving up a field goal percentage of 47.4% (1,205 of 2,542) and they surrender 40.8 boards per game as a group. They are giving up 33.8% on 3-point shots while they are 15th in basketball in points per game from their opponents (113.7).

The last time they took the court, the Celtics got the win with a final of 122-118 against the Lakers. The Celtics were able to collect 38 defensive boards and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 51 for the matchup. They coughed up the ball 14 times, while recording 6 steals for the game. The Lakers earned 17 fouls for this game which got the Celtics to the free throw line for a total of 16 shots. They were able to convert 11 of them for a rate of 68.8%. When talking about 3-point shots, Boston converted 19 of their 48 tries (39.6%). Overall, the Celtics went 46 out of 104 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.2%. The Celtics permitted the Lakers to knock down 44 of their 93 attempts from the floor which had them at 47.3% in this game. They shot 27.6% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 8 out of 29 and ended up going 22 of 30 at the charity stripe (73.3%). In the matter of rebounding, Boston permitted Los Angeles to get 49 in total (7 on the offensive glass).

Jayson Tatum was important for the Celtics in the matchup. He converted 15 of 29 in this matchup giving him a rate of 51.7%, and earned 9 rebounds. Tatum recorded 44 points in his 44 minutes on the court and had 6 assists for this game.

Boston has a mark of 22-7 this season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Celtics are shooting 48.8% from the floor, which is 3rd in basketball. Boston has scored 3,463 points for the year (119.4 per game) and they collect 42.8 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 26.8 times per game (9th in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.7 times per contest. The Celtics are committing 20.2 fouls every game and they go 82.9% from the free throw line.

The Boston defense concedes 34.8% on three-point shots (322 of 924) and their opposition knocks down 78.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 21.9 assists and 44.2 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 2nd and 22nd in the league. The Celtics defensively are ranked 13th in the NBA in PPG surrendered with 112.6. They are able to force 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 46.8% from the field (14th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Boston

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