Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction: How do the Clippers Follow up Their Historical Performance?
Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction: How do the Clippers Follow up Their Historical Performance?
Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
When: Wednesday, January 26, 7:00 pm ET
Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
Click here for Magic vs. Clippers odds
Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Line Movement
Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction
Before last night, only once before in NBA history has a team come back from a deficit of at least 35 points. It happened on November 27, 1996, when the Utah Jazz overcame a 36-point deficit to defeat the Denver Nuggets.
Looking back on that game, it's understandable how it happened. The Jazz were an excellent team, on their way to the first of two consecutive Finals appearances, with an established core that had been playing together for years. Karl Malone and John Stockton were part of that core, not to mention former All-Star Jeff Hornacek. That Denver team also wasn't exactly a group of world-beaters, with Antonio McDyess and Mark Jackson the only players on the roster of note.
As for last night's events, in which the Clippers came back from 35 down to beat the Wizards, the situation was quite a bit different. For one, LA was on the road. Second, there were no future Hall of Famers involved for them, with the comeback being led without the Clippers' three top players. The Wizards, meanwhile, had nominally the two best players in the game in Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie.
All this is to say that while we should top our collective cap to Los Angeles for what they were able to accomplish, it doesn't necessarily mean they're a squad we should expect to keep pulling off miracles. While the team continues to fight despite being without its top dogs, LA is still just 7-8 in their last 15 games with a negative 4.0 net rating that ranks 22nd in the league over that stretch.
Now, they head into Orlando to face a Magic team coming off of a rare win - just their ninth of the season, in fact. The home team also has a rookie really starting to find his groove in Franz Wagner, who is averaging 17 points, five boards and three assists in his last 30 games after a quieter start to his rookie season. More importantly, the Magic are only getting outscored by 3.5 points when he's in the game over that time. For them, that's a minor miracle.
As inspiring as last night was for LA, they're bound to be exhausted, while Orlando has had two days off. The Magic is rarely favored, but they are here for a reason. Go with the home team against LA.
Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers Pick
PICK: Orlando Magic -1 @ -110 (Bet $100 to win $90.91)
New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat Prediction
It's been nearly five years since the Knicks went into Miami and came away with a win. The reason is because the Heat are everything the Knicks haven't been for much of the last 20 years: consistent, high-effort, and most of all, a pain in the butt to play against.
Last season, New York finally started to embody some of those ethos, but it still didn't prevent them from going 0-3 against the team run by the man who coached them to the precipice of glory in the early 90's. The Heat's ultra switchable defense stymied the Knicks' attack, and made it especially hard for RJ Barrett to get downhill with any consistency.
That's an even bigger problem for the Knicks this season, who don't have the same consistency as last season's squad and have come to rely on Barrett even more as Julius Randle has struggled immensely. Throw in the fact that both of New York's top two centers in Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel are questionable for this game with minor injuries, and it's impossible to go with the Knicks, who have only beaten one winning team in the last two and a half months. Give the points at home.
New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat Pick
PICK: Heat -6 @ -110 (Bet $100 to win $90.91)