🏀 Hornets vs. Magic Prediction: NBA Play-In Odds for Friday, April 17
The Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic meet in an NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday to decide the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Tipoff from Kia Center in Orlando, Fla., is set for 7:30 p.m. ET (streaming on Prime Video), with the Hornets listed as a 3.5-point betting favorite.
My Hornets vs. Magic prediction breaks down why the visitors should win by margin and highlights a player who should bounce back after a rough shooting night from deep.
π Hornets vs. Magic picks & odds: NBA Play-In Tournament
See all of our experts' NBA picks based on the latest NBA odds for the playoffs.
| π° Pick | βοΈ Bet size (units) | π§ Why I bet this |
|---|---|---|
| Hornets -3.5 (-110 via FanDuel) | 1.1u β 1u | Hornets rank 2nd in offensive EPM |
| Over 218.5 (-108 via DraftKings) | 0.54u β 0.5u | Line is an overreaction to ORL scoring 97 vs. PHI |
| LaMelo Ball Over 4.5 three-pointers made (+110 via FanDuel) | 0.91u β 1u | Had 16 3PA in each of his last 3 games |
Total wagered: 2.55 units | Max profit: 2.5 units
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π Who will win Hornets vs. Magic?
I like the Hornets to win by seven points on Friday.
Charlotte has a higher ceiling than Orlando and still managed to beat the Miami Heat in the 9-10 game despite making just 18 of 56 from beyond the arc.
The Magic, meanwhile, have had three losing skids of four-plus games and have underperformed against preseason expectations after adding Desmond Bane.
Score prediction: Hornets 115, Magic 108
π° Hornets vs. Magic prediction & best bet
The Hornets have the ninth-shortest odds to win the NBA Finals.
Hornets -3.5 (-110)
The Hornetsβ offense should be the key difference-maker in Fridayβs play-in game. Charlotte ranks 2nd in offensive estimated plus-minus (+6.1), per Dunks & Threes, while the Magic sit 12th in the same metric (+0.7).
The Hornets were somewhat unlucky not to cover -5.5 in the 9-10 game, as Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball combined to make just 2 of 22 from beyond the arc - that likely wonβt happen again. Hornets -3.5 is -110 at FanDuel, but I would be comfortable playing this up to -4.5 on the best sports betting sites.
π₯ Best Hornets vs. Magic player prop bet
Our NBA playoff series odds break down all confirmed first-round matchups.
LaMelo Ball Over 4.5 three-pointers made (+110)
The reason this is a good bet is that weβre almost guaranteed that Ball will shoot a high volume of 3-pointers. He has attempted 16 three-pointers in each of his last three games - and 14 or more in five straight.
He has cashed this prop in five of his last six games and shot 39.2% from beyond the arc in his final six regular-season contests. His Over 4.5 three-pointers made is +110 at FanDuel, but I would play this up to -105 on the best sports betting apps.
π Hornets vs. Magic same-game parlay
Knueppel has scored 14 or fewer points in five straight games despite having more than enough motivation to be aggressive between the Rookie of the Year race and Tuesdayβs elimination game.
With such a short spread, I donβt believe parlaying Hornets -3.5 with Knueppel Under 16.5 points should pay out this highly. Bet365 offers this parlay at +320, while FanDuel lists it at +287.
💵 Hornets vs. Magic SGP picks
- Hornets -3.5
- Kon Knueppel Under 16.5 points
Best odds: +320 via bet365 (0.31u -> 1u)
π΅ My betting record for NBA picks
All NBA picks, including SGPs, have been tracked since Feb. 10.
| Bet type | Record | Net profit | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 113-135-4 | -19.06 units β | -6.9% β |
| Player props | 102-103-4 | -20.49 units β | -7.9% β |
| Parlays | 8-30 | +0.08 units β | 0.7% β |
| Spreads | 2-1 | +1.4 units β | 35.9% β |
| Totals | 1-1 | -0.05 units β | -4.5% β |
π‘ How I'm betting Hornets vs. Magic: NBA Play-In Tournament strategy
Follow all of our NBA analysis and expert predictions this season.
I risked 1.1 units on the spread, as I believe the market is underreacting to how poorly the Magic played in the 7-8 game. I only risked 0.54 units on the total because, while I like the bet directionally, the Over/Under is not set far from where Iβd price it. For my Ball prop, I didn't risk more than a unit because, even though it's early in the betting cycle, FanDuel is among the best NBA betting sites when it comes to pricing player props.
π Live Hornets vs. Magic odds: NBA Play-In Tournament
This line opened at Hornets -2.5 (-115) at an offshore sportsbook on Wednesday night before it was bet up to -4 (-113) over the following three hours. Money has since come back on the Magic, but not enough to significantly move the line. I expect this line to close at Hornets -4 (-110) across the board.
π Hornets vs. Magic betting trends
| Hornets | Statistic | Magic |
|---|---|---|
| 44-38 | Record | 45-37 |
| 50-33 | ATS record | 37-45-1 |
| 32-51 | O/U record | 45-38 |
| 6-4 | Last 10 games | 6-4 |
| 118.4 | Offensive rating | 114.2 |
| 113.5 | Defensive rating | 113.6 |
| 4.9 | Net rating | 0.6 |
π Hornets vs. Magic injuries
πΊ How to watch Hornets vs. Magic: NBA Play-In Tournament
- Date: Friday, April 17
- Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Kia Center (Orlando, Fla.)
- TV: Streaming on Prime Video
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