Orlando Magic vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, 1/5/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Orlando Magic vs Denver Nuggets

Date: Friday, January 5, 2024

Location: Ball Arena in Denver, CO

TV: Altitude

The Denver Nuggets (24-11) will play the Orlando Magic (19-15) at Ball Arena on Friday.

The Magic faced off with the Kings and took a loss by a final of 138-135 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Magic ended up finishing with 30 while the Kings recorded 21 fouls. They knocked down 15 out of their 40 attempts from three-point range. Sacramento ended up shooting 67.7% from the free throw line by making 21 of their 31 attempts. Furthermore, Sacramento snagged 58 rebounds (18 offensive, 40 defensive) and added 7 blocks. Sacramento totaled 36 dimes and had 9 steals in this matchup. When discussing the defense, Orlando allowed the other team to shoot 48.6% from the field on 51 out of 105 shooting. They also dished out 33 assists for the game in addition to forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and having 10 steals. In regard to getting rebounds, they earned 39 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Magic made 22 of their 27 attempts for a rate of 81.5%. Orlando finished the game with a 48.9% FG percentage (44 out of 90) and made 25 of their 44 shots from beyond the arc.

Paolo Banchero is someone who played a role in the matchup. He totaled 43 points on 13 out of 25 shooting. He was on the court for 45 minutes played and snagged 4 boards. Banchero shot 52.0% from the field and recorded 5 assists.

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Orlando will play this game with a win-loss mark of 19-15 for the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 15.1 times per game and as a team they are committing 21.5 fouls every game. As a team, Orlando is snagging 43.5 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 848 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 21st in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Magic are shooting 34.4% on 3-point shots (358 of 1,041) and 77.1% from the free throw line. They are averaging 113.6 points per game (20th in basketball) while connecting on 47.3% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Magic are forcing 15.4 turnovers per game while drawing 22.7 personal fouls. They are giving up 36.3% on three-point shots while they are 7th in the NBA in points per game allowed (111.8). The Magic defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 47.3% (1,383 of 2,922) and they surrender 41.3 rebounds per game as a team. They are 2nd in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 801 conceded on the year.

For their last game, the Nuggets got the victory with a final of 111-93 when they played the Hornets. The Nuggets snagged 40 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards totaling 44 for this contest. They turned the ball over 10 times, while earning 9 steals in the matchup. The Hornets committed 15 fouls in this matchup which got the Nuggets to the charity stripe for a total of 18 tries. They were able to make 14 of the free throws for a percentage of 77.8%. When discussing shots from beyond the arc, Denver knocked down 15 of 38 attempts (39.5%). At the conclusion of this game, the Nuggets finished shooting 41 out of 83 from the field which had them sitting at 49.4%. The Nuggets permitted the Hornets to knock down 36 of 86 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 41.9% for the contest. They went 38.5% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 10 of 26 and finished the contest at 11 of 16 at the charity stripe (68.8%). When discussing rebounding, Denver permitted Charlotte to collect 45 in all (8 on the offensive side).

Jamal Murray ended up having an impact for the Nuggets for the matchup. Murray accumulated 25 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood and had 7 assists in this contest. He converted 7 of 16 for the contest for a rate of 43.8%, and tallied 3 rebounds.

Denver has a mark of 24-11 on the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Nuggets are shooting 49.0% from the field, which ranks 4th in basketball. Denver has 4,030 pts on the season (115.1 per game) and they average 44.6 boards per contest. They are getting an assist 29.7 times per contest (2nd in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.3 times per contest. The Nuggets commit 18.8 personal fouls per contest while shooting 74.0% from the free throw line.

The Denver defense allows 35.6% on shots from distance (391 of 1,097) and opponents are converting on 79.4% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 24.9 dimes and 43.0 boards per contest, which is 6th and 13th in the league. The Nuggets on the defensive side of the court are 3rd in the league in points per game surrendered with 109.8. They are able to force 12.6 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 45.9% from the floor (5th in the NBA).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Denver

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