Media by Associated Press – Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray makes both free throws during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr.)
The NBA has several high-profile matchups Wednesday night that will be interesting for casual fans and bettors alike. With there being a crunch of games around the holidays, teams will also be trying to shift their rosters to give them the best opportunity to pick up key wins. How teams handle this stretch, under a national spotlight in some cases, will give teams some momentum going into 2023.
Orlando Magic (-2) at Houston Rockets
The Magic will be happy campers with how their rebuilding process is going. Orlando has covered eight consecutive games against the spread. The Magic also have won six of their past seven games straight up.
Orlando is heading into the last game of a four-game road swing. The Magic have been able to find success at times this season, thanks to its defense. Orlando has been successful running opponents off the 3-point line, only allowing teams to shoot 33.2 percent against them, which is the second-best number in the league. Orlando also allows 113.3 points per game, which is 15th.
Generating offense has been a struggle for the Magic, as they rank 28th by scoring 109.4 points per game. Houston, on the other hand, feels much farther behind in its rebuild. The Rockets have lost three straight games and are 4-5-1 against the spread over the past ten games.
Houston is another team that isn’t the most offensively adept. The Rockets only shoot 44.2 percent from the field and score 109.5 points per game. Orlando will grab a solid road win before heading back home.
Milwaukee Bucks (+2) at Cleveland Cavaliers
Milwaukee and Cleveland are both playing good basketball. The Bucks and Cavaliers are each 7-3 over their past ten games, and they are separated by two games in the standings. Cleveland, though, has won four straight games.
The Cavaliers haven’t given their foes much room to breathe on defense. Cleveland has the top-scoring defense in the league, only allowing 104.4 points per game.
The Cavaliers are also in the top 10 of the league in field goal and 3-point percentage defense. Cleveland is also loaded with scoring talent, as Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are both scoring over 20 points per game.
Milwaukee has been playing great basketball despite only having Khris Middleton available for seven games this season. Giannis Antetokounmpoko leads the team by scoring 31 points and grabbing 11.1 rebounds per game. The Bucks are 17-11-2 overall this season against the spread.
Milwaukee is also 8-5 straight up away from home. The Bucks will stop Cleveland’s winning streak.
Toronto Raptors (+1.5) at New York Knicks
The Knicks have won eight straight games and are in the middle of a four-game homestand. However, New York’s Christmas week is demanding. The Knicks will have games on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday this week.
With a high-profile matchup on Christmas with Philadelphia looming, the Knicks may be peeking ahead. Toronto hasn’t played good basketball this season, especially on the road. The Raptors are 3-12 away from home. However, this is a good spot to catch a possibly exhausted Knicks teams napping.
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