The Dallas Mavericks and the Orlando Magic take the floor in a cross-conference matchup on Monday night. Dallas is 1-0 against Orlando this season, knocking off the Magic by a 14-point margin in early January. After a slow start, the Mavs have won seven of the last nine games, improving to 16-16 overall. The Magic have lost three in a row, falling to 13-21 in 2020-21.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET in Orlando. William Hill Sportsbook lists Dallas as a seven-point road favorite, up a half-point from the opener, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 224 in the latest Mavericks vs. Magic odds. Before making any Magic vs. Mavericks picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it returned over $5,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks last season. The model also is up almost $8,700 on top-rated NBA picks over the past two-plus seasons. Dating back to last season, it enters Week 10 of the 2020-21 NBA schedule on a stunning 85-49 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Mavs vs. Magic. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting trends for Magic vs. Mavs:
- Mavericks vs. Magic spread: Mavericks -7
- Mavericks vs. Magic over-under: 224 points
- Mavericks vs. Magic money line: Mavericks -270; Magic +230
- DAL: The Mavericks are 4-6 against the spread in the last 10 games
- ORL: The Magic are 5-5 against the spread in the last 10 games
Latest Odds:
Orlando Magic
+7
Why the Mavericks can cover
Dallas is a tremendous offensive team, which has been on display in recent days. The Mavs are scoring almost 1.2 points per possession in the last nine games, leading to a 7-2 record. For the full season, Dallas is above-average in offensive efficiency, and Luka Doncic is putting up 28.5 points, 9.0 assists and 8.4 rebounds per game to lead the way. Dallas is above-average in shooting efficiency, with a top-eight mark in free throw creation rate.
From there, the Mavericks are No. 3 in the NBA in ball security, turning the ball over on only 12.5 percent of possessions. On the defensive side, the Mavericks are good at protecting the paint, ranking No. 8 in the league in allowing only 45.3 points per game at the rim. In addition, the Magic are a bottom-five team in shooting efficiency, free throw creation and points per possession (1.05) this season.
Why the Magic can cover
The Magic are led by Nikola Vucevic, with the veteran center averaging 24.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game on the way to an All-Star bid this season. Aside from the individual brilliance of Vucevic, Orlando’s bread and butter offensively is its ability to avoid turnovers, giving the ball away on only 13.3 percent of possessions this season. The Magic should also have a chance to exploit the Mavericks’ defense, with Dallas ranking just 25th in the NBA in allowing 113.3 points per 100 possessions in 2020-21.
On the other end, the Magic lead the NBA in defensive rebound rate, pulling down 75.9 percent of missed shots by their opponents, and the Mavericks are a bottom-five offensive rebounding team this season. Orlando is also a top-five group at preventing its opponents from attempting free throws, which helps with overall efficiency.
How to make Magic vs. Mavericks picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, projecting both teams to combine for 221 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can get that pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Magic vs. Mavericks? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that on an 85-49 roll on NBA picks.