Pacers vs Magic Odds, Spread & Picks (Jan. 25)

• Orlando is a 4.5-point home favorite in the Pacers vs Magic odds on Wednesday
• Tyrese Haliburton won’t play for Indiana, while Andrew Nembhard’s status is up in the air
• Check out the latest Pacers vs Magic odds below, plus injury news and best bets

For only the sixth time all season, the Magic (18-29, 12-12 home) will be favorites when they host the Pacers (24-25, 8-16 away) on Wednesday.

It will also mark just the second time Orlando has been laying more than 3 points. The fist time they did that it didn’t work out so well, as they fell by 7 to the Rockets. The Second time however, they blew out the Spurs by 20.

The Magic are getting preferential treatment in the NBA odds for good reason. Indiana enters play losers of seven of its last eight and are dealing with significant injuries at the guard position.

Pacers vs Magic Odds

Odds as of January 24 at Barstool Sportsbook.

Orlando is currently favored by 4.5 points, in a contest without a total as of Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm ET at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, a building where the Magic have won back-to-back contests.

Orlando Magic Betting Trends

Orlando is fresh off upsetting the Celtics, the favorites in the NBA Championship odds. Granted, Boston was down a pair of starters (Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III) but the dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were still on the court.

Paolo Banchero continued his fine freshman season by pouring in 23 points. Wendell Carter Jr. had 21 points and 11 boards, while the Magic beat the reigning Eastern Conference champs for a third straight time.

paolo banchero against BOS this season:

23 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast
20 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast
31 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 6-7 3P
23 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 54% fg pic.twitter.com/DlDyGtW1gS

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) January 24, 2023

Orlando shot 51% from the field and 40.7% from three, winning for the second time in three games. They’ve dealt with inconsistent play this season, as should be expected from such a young team, but the arrow is definitely pointing up.

For starters, Banchero looks like a legit star and is the runaway favorite in the NBA ROY odds. The nucleus around him is strong, as forward Franz Wagner is a 20 point per game player, and center Wendell Carter averages nearly a double-double per night (15.3 pts, 8.7 reb).

They’ve beaten not only the Celtics this month, but also the reigning champion Warriors and the Pelicans, a top-four seed in the West. They’ve won three of four overall in their own building, with each of those victories coming by double-digits.

Indiana Pacers Betting Trends

Orlando is also healthy, something that cannot be said for the Pacers. Indiana has played the last seven games without their star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. The 22-year-old leads the league in assists, but hasn’t suited up since suffering a knee injury on January 11th. Haliburton has resumed non-contact drills in practice, but there’s no timetable for his return and he won’t be in Wednesday’s NBA starting lineups.

To make matters worse, starting shooting guard Andrew Nembhard is dealing with an illness. He missed practice on Monday and sat out Tuesday’s game versus the Bulls. His status versus the Magic is up in the air which is a potentially a major loss for Indiana.

Indiana Pacers Injury Report

Nembhard is the team’s primary ball handler when Haliburton is out. His absence forced T.J. McConnell to play 41 minutes against Chicago on Tuesday, which is more than double the amount of time he normally logs (17 min/night). McConnel is a fine player, but definitely not the guy the Pacers want running their offense for the majority of the game.

Indiana snapped a seven-game winning streak by upsetting the Bulls 116-110, and they did so in spite of a dreadful shooting performance. The Pacers shot just 42% from the field and 27% form three. The key to the game for them was their defense, which held Chicago to 20.8% from three. Indiana racked up 10 blocks and nine steals, while forcing twice as many turnovers (16) as they committed (8).

Magic vs Pacers Predictions

That kind of stingy play in their own end is not something we should expect on the second night of a back-to-back from the Pacers. Indiana enters play ranked 21st in defensive rating and 24th in points allowed.

They’ve won just eight of 24 games on the road overall, losing by an average of 15.2 points per outing during their recent four game road trip.

Their best player is hurt, the second best ball handler may sit as well, and they’re at a rest disadvantage. That points to the Magic in this contest.

Franz Wagner is 6’10”
Paolo Banchero is 6’10”
Wendell Carter Jr. is 6’10”
Jonathan Isaac is 6’10”
Mo Wagner is 6’11”
Mo Bamba is 7’0”
Bol Bol is 7’2”

The amount of length and versatility on a healthy Magic roster is otherworldly. pic.twitter.com/aUCJGWcJul

— The Lead (@TheLeadSM) January 23, 2023

What’s also working in Orlando’s favor is the matchup in the paint. Led by Banchero and Carter, the Magic should be able to feast on a Pacers team that ranks below league average in points in the paint allowed. They’ve been especially bad defending that area of the court recently, allowing the seventh most points inside to enemy shooters over the last three games.

Pick: Orlando Magic -4.5 (-110)