The Orlando Magic (15-12) and Utah Jazz (10-16) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. ET from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The game will broadcast live on KJZZ.
The Magic are 7.5-point favorites over the Jazz on the spread (Magic -7.5), with the over/under set at 238.5 total points. Orlando is a -300 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Utah is +235 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Magic vs. Jazz predictions and NBA picks for Saturday, December 20.
My Magic vs Jazz Prediction
- Magic vs Jazz pick: Keyonte George Over 34.5 Points + Assists (-115)
My Jazz vs Magic best bet is Keyonte George Over 34.5 Points + Assists, with the best price currently available at bet365. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Magic vs Jazz Odds
| Magic Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 238.5 -110o / -110u | -300 |
| Jazz Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 238.5 -110o / -110u | +235 |
Magic vs Jazz NBA Preview
Utah and Orlando both enter this game coming off high-scoring defeats on Thursday night. The Jazz fell to the Lakers, 143-135, while the Magic lost to the Nuggets, 126-115, in Denver.
Utah was without leading scorer Lauri Markkanen (27.8 points per game) on Thursday and will likely be again, as he is doubtful with a right groin injury.
Despite the loss, Keyonte George continued on his heater with 34 points and eight assists. Over his last three games, George is averaging 36.6 points and 7.3 assists while shooting 53.3% from the field and 50% from three.
Ace Bailey also took advantage of the increased opportunity without Markkanen and scored 19 points and knocked three triples in 26 minutes. It helped that he only picked up two fouls, since staying out of trouble has been an issue for him.
However, the Jazz continued to struggle defensively. They gave up 125 points for the sixth time in seven games. The Jazz rank 29th in defensive rating, and Thursday's game was the 11th time in 15 home games that the over hit in Salt Lake City.
Utah's defensive struggles may help an Orlando team that is down two key starters right now.
Orlando will be without Franz Wagner (left high ankle) and likely Jalen Suggs (hip contusion), though Suggs was at least listed as doubtful after being immediately ruled out for Thursday's game.
Tristian da Silva and Jonathan Isaac are questionable. However, the good news for them is that Paolo Banchero may be back on track.
The 23-year-old had 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists for his third career triple-double.
Interestingly enough, it was also his second triple-double against the Nuggets. It was also his second straight game with 25 points, and he is averaging 20.8 per game this season.
As a 7.5-point favorite, Orlando will likely need Desmond Bane to bounce back to come out with a win, as he scored just 6 points on 3-for-11 from the field on Thursday.
He has been held under 20 points in seven of his last 10 games, though the matchup is enticing tonight. Anthony Black picked up the slack for him with 22 points against the Nuggets. He is averaging 14.9 points as a starter this season.
Magic vs Jazz Prediction, Betting Analysis
Over his last 10 games, Keyonte George has scored 28 points in seven of them and made 4+ threes in six of them. Two of the games he went under were against Houston and Oklahoma City, a pair of top-five defenses.
While Orlando is ninth in defensive rating, George likely will not have to deal with Suggs tonight. Orlando is giving up the most points per game to point guards and has given up 30+ to Cade Cunningham, De'Aaron Fox, Jalen Brunson (twice), and Jamal Murray over the last few weeks.
George also has had six assists or more in seven of his last 10 games and is averaging 6.8 per game this season.
As a result, he has cleared 35 points and assists in seven of his last 10 games, surpassing 40 in each of the last three. Without Markkanen, Utah will need a big performance from him to pull off the home upset.
We could see a bit of a two-man game between George and Jusuf Nurkic. While Nurkic has been a double-double threat for most of his career, he is also an underrated playmaker.
Nurkic has had seven potential assists in five of his last seven games. Though in one of those games his teammates did not convert any of his opportunities against the Knicks, he had seven assists in the other four games.
If he has seven potential assists tonight, I like his chances of recording at least four assists.
Meanwhile, Banchero scored just nine points in Utah last season, one of two games in which he did not crack double-digits. However, he has still scored 25 points in three of his previous four games against the Jazz. Considering how the Jazz are defending right now, I like him to get 25 once again.
Anthony Black has had eight or more rebounds and assists in eight of his last 10 games. That included a six-game stretch in which he recorded 10 or more in every game, averaging 12.5 RA per game.
Given the pace of this game, I also don't mind sprinkling on him to get a double-double at +1640, but he should clear over 8.5 RA to cap this parlay.
Pick: Keyonte George Over 34.5 Points +Assists (-115, bet365)
Magic vs Jazz Parlay Picks
- Keyonte George Over 34.5 Points + Assists
- Paolo Banchero 25+ Points
- Anthony Black Over 8.5 Rebounds + Assists
- Jusuf Nurkic Over 3.5 Assists
Parlay Odds: +800 via DraftKings
