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Two teams that have gotten off to surprisingly strong starts face off for the first time this season Tuesday evening in Orlando when the Magic host the Timberwolves.
Minnesota (25–10) stands atop the Western Conference despite a recent rough patch during which the team dropped three of its last four games. This stop in central Florida is the third leg of a four-game road trip that the T-Wolves are 1–1 on so far, having blown out the Rockets 122–95 on Friday and lost to the Mavericks 115–108 on Sunday. Orlando (21–15) wraps up a quick two-game home stand against Minnesota following its 117–110 win over Atlanta on Sunday, its second straight win after upsetting the defending champs in Denver 122–120 on Friday.
The Timberwolves have a clean bill of health heading into this matchup, although the Magic cannot say the same. Franz Wagner (ankle), Gary Harris (calf), Wendell Carter Jr. (knee), Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) and Joe Ingles (ankle) have all been ruled out, which means Orlando is down two starters — Wagner and Harris — as well as a few rotation players.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Orlando Magic Odds
Spread: Timberwolves -4.5 (-118) | Magic +4.5 (-105)
Moneyline: MIN (-200) | ORL (+160)
Total: 216.5 — Over (-118) | Under (-118)
Game Info: Tuesday, Jan. 9 | 7 p.m. ET
Timberwolves vs. Magic Best Bet:
Magic +4.5 (-105)
Timberwolves vs. Magic Bold Prediction:
Paolo Banchero Scores 35+ Points
Ron Chenoy/USA Today network
Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns combined to score 50 points last time out against Dallas, but only one of their teammates joined them in double figures. That made it an uphill battle on the road as Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving tallied 69 total points against the NBA’s No. 1 defense.
That marked the 11th straight game in which Edwards led the T-Wolves in scoring. The fourth-year pro is off to a scorching start in January, averaging better than 32 points per game on 50/48/88 shooting splits. Edwards will look to keep up that level of play against the Magic, who rank fourth in defensive rating.
With Wagner sidelined for almost two weeks, Paolo Banchero has taken over. He’s following up December, his best scoring month of the season, with a 34.3 points per game average in January, which includes a 32-point triple double against the Nuggets and a season-high 43 in a losing effort in Sacramento. Jalen Suggs has elevated his play over the last few weeks and he’s shooting lights out from beyond the arc, where the Magic struggle as a team.
Orlando covers the spread at a higher rate (25–11) than any team in the NBA and are tied for the second-most wins against the spread as an underdog (16–8). The Magic cover even more often at the Kia Center (12–4) and are tied with the Jazz for the best home ATS record in the league. Despite Minnesota’s impressive record, the team actually has a losing record against the spread (16–17–1) — and the T-Wolves’ road record (8–11) is even worse.
Take a shorthanded Orlando team to keep this game tight at home, especially the way Banchero has performed as of late.
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