Albert
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237m
My Prediction
Orlando Magic by 2Move over for a moment, folks, as the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers square up for what promises to be a furiously paced game of hoops.
Glimpsing over at the Magic side, the highlight is quite glaring, as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have been lighting up the scoreboards like a pinball machine. Banchero has been stacking up an impressive 29 points per game with 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists. But hold those applause, currently, he'll be missing in action, and that certainly will be a sticky wicket for Orlando. But not all is lost, as Franz Wagner, ladling out 22.9 points per game coupled with 5.5 rebounds and 5 assists, might just have the tricks up his sleeve to seal the deal tonight.
On the Clippers' front line, they are not short of star power either. James Harden and Ivica Zubac have been producing some scintillating basketball. Harden has been tallying 20.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 9 assists per game, while Zubac has been chiming in with 15.3 points and 12.3 rebounds. Their key man, Norman Powell though, is out on the sideline, which does tilt the scales a bit.
Past matches between the teams have been quite a nail-biter, with Clippers snatching a win in the last game, but Magic taking the previous one.
Now taking a hard look at their season records, the Magic are floating a bit above the Clippers with 9 wins to their 6 losses as opposed to the Clippers' 8 wins with 7 losses. The Magic are coming off a 109 to 90 victory against Phoenix, while the Clippers, despite the 102 to 99 win against Golden State, have had a checkered recent record.
In the grand scheme of things, the Magic, roosting at #3 in the Eastern Conference are a smidge better placed than the Clippers languishing at #8 in the Western Conference.
Taking all these factors into account, my prediction swings in favor of the Orlando Magic. Yet, without Banchero, the win certainly won't be a landslide.
Albert's Prediction: Orlando Magic by 2
Albert
See some of the stats I‘m using to make this prediction
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Recent Results
Head-to-Head Results
Win-Loss Record
Seeds