NBA: Magic vs Nuggets Odds and Prediction (Jan 19)

Published January 18, 2025 3:14 pm

Updated January 18, 2025 3:14 pm

Author James Tillman

The Magic are 23-20 and have the best record in the Southeast Division.
Denver is 25-16 and has the second-best record in the Northwest Division.
These teams last played on Jan. 5, 2024, with the Magic claiming a 122-120 victory.

One of the games on tap from Sunday night’s NBA slate features the Orlando Magic hosting the Denver Nuggets. Will Orlando get back into the win column in our Magic vs Nuggets prediction?

Magic Coming Off Blowout Loss Against Defending Champs

After knocking off the Philadelphia 76ers 104-99 on Jan. 12, the Magic have dropped their last two games, both by double-digit margins. They fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 122-93 three days later and dropped a 121-94 decision against the Boston Celtics on Friday night. In the team’s recent loss, three starters reached double figures.

Cole Anthony led the way with 23 points and seven rebounds on 9-for-15 shooting from the field. Paolo Banchero added 21 points, four boards, and four dimes but shot just 8-for-20 from the field. Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 15 points and nine rebounds for an Orlando squad that shot 41.5 percent overall and an abysmal 15.6 percent from beyond the arc.

After falling behind by 12 points at the break, Orlando showed glimpses of life, scoring the first five points of the second half to get within seven points (66-59). However, the Cs responded with an 8-0 burst and enjoyed a 30-22 scoring advantage in the period. One notable takeaway from this contest is that Boston was shooting 28 percent from 3-point range in the previous five games before knocking down 17 of their 37 attempts against Orlando — a 45.9 percent conversion rate.

Denver Looks To Build On Dominant Win Against Miami

The Nuggets recently saw their four-game winning streak snapped by a 128-108 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Fortunately, they responded in a big way, blowing out the Miami Heat to the tune of 133-113.

Jamal Murray spearheaded a balanced scoring attack in which all five starters reached double figures. He finished with 30 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. He also tallied three steals as well.

Nikola Jokic scored 24 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, and handed out 10 assists. Michael Porter Jr. contributed 14 points and nine rebounds, while Christian Braun and Russell Westbrook chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Jokic hit a key 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in the third quarter to extend Denver’s lead to 12 points. That basket spurred a 14-2 run that essentially put the game out of reach for the Heat. Although the two teams mirrored each other in nearly every statistical category for the most part, Denver had a decisive advantage from long range, outscoring Miami by a 48-27 margin.

Magic vs Nuggets Prediction: Denver Gets The Road Win

The Magic were one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference but have recently slipped to the No. 6 spot in the playoff race. Orlando has also dropped four of its last five contests. Although they are not a great offensive team by any means (30th in scoring and 29th in offensive rating), the Magic have the second-best scoring defense (104.1 PPG) and the second-best defensive rating in the association (108.0 Points Per 100 Possessions).

Meanwhile, the Nuggets are picking up steam. This group has won five of its previous six games. Not only that, but the average margin of victory is 18.4 points per contest. While the Nuggets don’t excel from a defensive standpoint (ranked in the bottom third in points allowed), they average 120.3 points per game, the third-best mark in the league.

Orlando is the better defensive squad. At the same time, Denver has multiple players that are capable scorers. That said, the Nuggets have enough firepower to come away with the win and snap their three-game slide against the Magic in this series.