The Orlando Magic (40-36) and Dallas Mavericks (24-52) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The game will broadcast live on KFAA.
The Magic are 6.5-point favorites over the Mavericks on the spread (Magic -6.5), with the over/under set at 238.5 total points. Orlando is a -270 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Dallas is +220 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Magic vs. Mavericks predictions and NBA picks for Friday, April 3.
Magic vs Mavericks Prediction, Picks
- Magic vs Mavericks picks: Mavericks +6.5, Under 238.5
My Mavericks vs. Magic best bets are on Dallas to cover the spread (+6.5) and the game to stay under 238.5 total points. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Magic vs Mavericks Odds
| Magic Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -112 | 238.5 -110o / -110u | -250 |
| Mavericks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -108 | 238.5 -110o / -110u | +205 |
Magic vs Mavericks NBA Preview
We aren’t seriously giving the Magic this kind of credit, right?
Are the Magic good? Well, no. They are actually quite bad with a -0.1 point differential — and they just got annihilated by the Hawks (albeit on a back-to-back).
Okay, but are they good against the spread? Also, no. The Magic are 34-42 ATS this season; and 6-9 ATS as road favorites.
Alright, sure, but are they projected to cover this spread? Nope, not by DunksAndThrees.com, which makes the projected differential four points — and not by my power rating either, which makes this 4.24.
Well, at least the Mavericks are terrible offensively, ranked 29th in the league.
Surely the Magic, with their great defense the past few years, are good against such teams, right? Nope. The Magic are 9-13 ATS against bottom-10 offenses this season.
The other thing is that the Mavericks are actually feisty. Dallas isn't really tanking — or at least, not in the same way teams like Utah and Washington are.
The Mavericks are playing their guys for the most part and have continued to hang around in games. They are 14-12 ATS as home 'dogs this season, and 6-4 against Eastern Conference teams in that spot.
Magic vs Mavericks Predictions, Betting Analysis
Mavericks +6.5
Dallas has enough athletes and shooters to give the Magic trouble, and Orlando is still trying to get itself acclimated to having Franz Wagner back.
You don’t want to back the tanking teams this season, but Dallas is the exception. I'll take the Mavericks to cover the spread tonight, and might also sprinkle the moneyline.
Under 238.5
This is a bonkers number for two teams that still play hard on defense.
The under is 28-21 in Mavericks games with a total above 230.
Dallas is an up-tempo team, but I still only project them to score 85 points in the halfcourt, leaving too wide of a swath for them to cover with transition.
Orlando can put up points; I have them projected at 116 tonight — but even if Dallas covers the spread, I still only project this total at 220. So, I like the under.
Magic vs Mavericks Best Bets
- Mavericks +6.5 (-110)
- Under 238.5 (-110)
