Magic vs Knicks Picks, Prediction Today | Monday, Jan. 15

Here's everything you need to know about Magic vs. Knicks on Monday, Jan. 15 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today.

The Magic are in a backslide, dropping six of their last eight contests, and while many of those games were against quality opponents they'll meet yet another one on Monday in the Knicks. New York may boast one of the best offenses in the NBA, but it's ridden its defense to six wins in seven contests and should be able to go toe-to-toe with one of the toughest teams in the East.

Let's get to our Magic vs. Knicks prediction and pick.

It's no surprise the Magic are in peril at the moment given their health. In recent games they've lost two starters to injury in Wendell Carter and Franz Wagner as well as another key player in Gary Harris. This team's depth in the frontcourt is coming into serious question, which is an issue considering Orlando was already one-dimensional as a team which relies heavily upon its defense to win games.

Over the last 10 games, the Magic offense has ranked a staggering 27th in the NBA while its defense has fallen off a bit with a 113.1 efficiency rating. The backbone of this defense has been its great play within four feet of the rim, ranking ninth in opponent field goal percentage, and without Carter and Wagner those numbers have looked a lot worse in recent weeks. This team should still be able to rely upon its 3-point defense, which ranks 10th, but the advantages the Magic have here will be few and far between.

New York owns one of the toughest frontcourts in the world, doing serious work on both ends of the floor and ranking first in rebounding rate, and this is likely the reason why the Magic are not getting more love here on the road with all of their injuries.

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As we just noted, the Knicks have been excellent around the rim with the best rebounding rate in the NBA and a defensive group which has ranked 12th in rim defense according to Cleaning the Glass. Offensively, they've relied heavily upon their talented guards to score from outside, ranking 11th in 3-point shooting and forcing the issue with the majority of their shots coming from beyond the arc.

One complicating factor here will be the status of Jalen Brunson, who is dealing with a relatively minor injury in a calf contusion, but it was enough to force him out of Saturday's win over the Grizzlies. New York managed to win that game with just 34.2% of its outside looks falling, but we should expect those numbers to rebound as the team returns home, where it has shot nearly two points better from long range.

The Knicks have scored incredibly efficiently this year given that was not one of their strong suits last year, but one story to watch will certainly be this team's defense. Not only are they sitting third in the NBA over the last 10 games thanks to some stellar play on the perimeter, they're also up against one of the worst offenses in basketball which is now down two reliable scoring options.

The Knicks have done well against the spread at home this year, going 7-4 ATS with an average margin of victory of 11.8 points, and I expect more success here on Monday.

New York has an advantage over Orlando in just about every area, whether it be rebounding or around the perimeter, and these edges are only going to be magnified in a game where the Magic are playing shorthanded. I expect the Knicks to have even more offensive success inside than they're used to without Wagner and potentially Carter, too.

The scales should be firmly tilted towards the Knicks with the way this offense is humming.

Pick: Knicks -7 (-110)

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