Mar 25, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) dribbles the ball up the court against the Miami Heat during the second half at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
The Nets snapped a five game skid at the right time on Saturday night, beating the Miami Heat to jump ahead of them into sixth place in the Eastern Conference and out of a potential Play-In game.
However, Brooklyn must keep up its fine play on Sunday against the Magic given the tight race between them and Miami to avoid the No. 7 seed in the postseason. Can the Nets make it two wins in a row in Florida over the weekend?
Here are the odds:
Nets vs. Magic odds, spread and total
Nets vs. Magic prediction and pick
The Magic allow a ton of three-point shots, which is going to play right into the Nets’ hands on offense, who have been emphasizing putting up shots from beyond the arc since trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
This season, Orlando allows the third highest three-point rate and the Nets are sixth on offense since Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith made their debut with the team. Brooklyn hasn’t been on fire from deep, just 35% as a team since then, but the team broke out in the second half against Miami on Saturday night and shot 18-of-40 from beyond the arc.
I envision the Nets getting up north of 40 three’s again against Orlando’s compact defense, but the Magic should get its fair share of points given they are playing faster as the season has gone on. Orlando is sixth in pace in March, averaging two more possessions per 48 minutes this month.
This game should be played at a faster pace than this total implies, and the Nets three-point rate can help push this coin flip game over the total.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.