Magic vs. 76ers Top Picks for January 30: Possible Letdown Game for Philly & Joel Embiid Iffy (Archive)
NBA Pick: Magic +10 (-110) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
The big question surrounding Monday’s Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers game is whether Sixers star Joel Embiid will play – needless to say, that’s rather important when handicapping the matchup. Which side of the 9.5-point spread has the best value at the best US betting sites? We also have a total play.
For Orlando residents looking to bet on this game, you can check out our top Florida betting sites.
Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Monday, January 30, 2023 – 07:00 PM EST at Wells Fargo Center
The entire City of Philadelphia might be dealing with a collective hangover on Monday following the 49ers-Eagles NFC title game in the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday won by the home team. Sixers star Joel Embiid was at the game but is listed as questionable when his team hosts the Orlando Magic on Monday, the earliest-starting game on the Association’s eight-game slate.
This is the third of four regular-season meetings between the clubs – they play again in Philly on Wednesday in a baseball-type series. They also played a two-game set like that in Orlando on Nov. 25 & 27 and the Sixers won by eight and 30 points.
Philadelphia is on a 10-game winning streak in the series with its last loss by a point on Dec. 27, 2019, in Orlando. The Sixers have won nine straight at home vs. the Magic and are 5-1 ATS on the NBA picks in the past six there.
Which Magic Show Up?
Young teams are always very inconsistent and the Magic is one of the youngest teams in the league. Thus, you will get very odd results at times. For example, Orlando beat the NBA-best Boston Celtics in their final three meetings this season to win the series 3-1. Shocking.
The Magic usually are competitive at home, but they weren’t Saturday in the second of a back-to-back, getting clobbered 128-109 by Chicago. The Bulls shot a whopping 59.3% from the field just two nights after getting outscored by 23 points in the second half of a loss at Charlotte.
“This is not an excuse but we were just flat,” said Orlando’s Mo Wagner, “and part of that was we put our head down too quickly. We kind of let go of our focus.”
Wagner was terrific in shooting 8-for-11 from the field and 8-for-9 from the charity stripe for 27 points in just 23 minutes off the bench. Cole Anthony added 21 points and six assists off the bench. So how did Orlando lose? It's starting five combined for 41 points.
Team and Player Stats
Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick out of Duke, remains the -800 favorite at the NBA odds to win NBA Rookie of the Year, but he had one of his worst games with nine points on 3-for-14 shooting. At least no Magic starter played more than 25 minutes.
Orlando is 6-18 this season on the road after going 10-31 last year. The Magic are 6-7 in games decided by five points or less overall on the year and 2-2 in games decided by only one point. No key players are listed on the injury report. The Magic are 6-1 ATS in their past seven after a loss.
Embiid on an MVP Mission
This does shape up as a potential trap game for Philadelphia as it comes off its eighth straight win Saturday in a potential NBA Finals matchup against the Denver Nuggets. It was also an MVP candidate matchup between two-time winner Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Joel Embiid of the Sixers.
You knew Embiid was going to go nuts after he was somehow left off the Eastern Conference All-Star starting team - to be fair, you can’t argue with Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the three East big men - as he finished with 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in outplaying Jokic. On the updated MVP odds at the top online books: Jokic is still the -125 favorite but Embiid is now second at +300.
It was the 33rd career 40-point, 10-rebound game for Embiid. The only player with more since the NBA and ABA merged in 1976-77 is Shaquille O'Neal, who had 43 of them. Michael Jordan also had 33. It was the fourth time in his career Embiid had at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists.
That leads the NBA in such games since the start of the 2016-17 season. Finally, Embiid was only the third player ever with at least 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two block shots in a game, joining Chris Webber in 2001 and Bob McAdoo in 1975.
Embiid, now averaging a league-best 33.8 ppg, said this is the best team he has been on in Philly.
"I think so. You've got James Harden, obviously he's been playing great basketball. You've got Tyrese Maxey, Tobias has been great, P.J. Tucker ... we've got a group that fits with each other. We'll find that out (for sure) in the postseason. But I think as far as the fit, you've got everything. Everybody fits with each other, we've got shooters, we've got defenders, and we've got James Harden. So I think we've got a good chance."
The Picks
To win the East, Philadelphia is +600 and behind Boston (+190), Brooklyn (+320), and Milwaukee (+390).
Embiid is questionable tonight. He’s usually listed as questionable but the only reason I might think he might sit is the Sixers believing they can beat Orlando without him and then having to face the same opponent on Wednesday.
No other key players are listed on Monday’s injury report. If the Sixers score at least 125 points and shoot a minimum of 50% from the field, count it as a W. The franchise has won 24 straight when doing so, with the first time this season in Saturday’s win. That streak dates all the way back to the 1987-88 campaign.
NBA Pick: Magic +10 (-110) at Bovada
NBA Pick: Under 233 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.