Magic vs. 76ers Prediction: Philly Riding Six-Game Win Streak

The Orlando Magic (46-34) are going on the road on Friday night to face the resurgent Philadelphia 76ers (45-35), who have not lost since Joel Embiid returned from injury.

The Magic are fifth in the East but have the worst road record of the top nine teams in the conference. They’re 0-2 against the Sixers and lost three of their last four games after climbing as high as the three spot in the conference.

The 76ers seemed destined for the Play-In Tournament, but their recent hot streak has them just one game away from sixth place. A win on Friday would see them leap past the Magic as they continue to look like the biggest threat to the Boston Celtics to represent the East in the NBA Finals.

Here, we will go over the betting odds and share our favorite pick for the Magic vs. 76ers matchup.

Magic vs. 76ers Betting Odds for Friday, April 12

The Magic are 36-43-1 (45.6 percent) against the spread and 13-13-1 (50 percent) ATS as a road underdog. They did not cover in either matchup with Philly and only covered three times in their last 10 games.

The Sixers are 42-38 (52.5 percent) ATS and 17-13 (56.7 percent) ATS as a home favorite. They also covered in eight straight and 12 of their last 14 games.

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Magic vs. 76ers Prediction

Orlando Magic Preview

The Magic have the potential to be a very tough team to beat in the playoffs. They have a physical and aggressive style of play that allows them to string together numerous defensive stops, win low-scoring games, and dominate the boards. 

The drawback is that they often struggle to generate solid offense. As much development as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have shown, they are still far from the best version of themselves. 

The team ranks 22nd in offensive efficiency over the last 10 games, and they shot just 34.5 percent from beyond the arc during that span.

Looking back at the positives, the Magic supplement their stagnant offense with ultra-aggressive perimeter defense and, as a result, second in points off turnovers. That’s despite also ranking 29th in fastbreak points, though the two theoretically should go hand-in-hand. That will be the next stage of development for what is an extremely young team.

The Magic are 10.1 points per 100 possessions worse on the road than they are at home and have a net rating of -3.3 outside of their building. That’s another huge concern looking ahead at the postseason, especially now that they have fallen out of a top-four seed and are in a position to be on the road for a potential game seven.

Wagner is questionable, which means Banchero could be left to do the heavy lifting. The 21-year-old averaged 24 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists to start April.

Philadelphia 76ers Preview

The 76ers’ start to the season and recent form combined with their enormous mid-season struggle shows how important Embiid is to their success.

The reigning NBA MVP will not qualify for any individual awards or stat leads, but he has a line of 34.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks. He also did not miss a beat since returning and averaged 30 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while increasing his scoring output in every game.

What makes Philly even scarier is that Tyrese Maxey got several valuable months of reps as the primary option and will be extremely comfortable being asked to carry the scoring burden in a playoff series.

Philly is first in defensive rating and 14th in offensive rating in four games since Embiid returned to action. They didn’t rebound well but locked down the paint and held opponents to 36.4 percent three-point shooting.

Embiid did not play in one of Philly’s earlier wins against Orlando. Instead, Maxey, Tobias Harris, and De’Anthony Melton all scored 22+ points, while Embiid led them with 36 points in the second of two wins on January 19. 

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Magic vs. 76ers Betting Pick

While it’s impressive the Sixers won every game since Embiid’s return and he played well, it’s still tough to judge them. A four-game sample size is not enough to determine what type of team they will be in a playoff series, and they also played three of the worst teams (Memphis, San Antonio, Detroit) in those four wins.

At the same time, the Magic are slumping, have been bad on the road all year, and are yet to beat the Sixers. They have length and size but nobody who can match Embiid’s level of physicality or brute force.

This feels like a game that the Sixers win by a small margin. We’d lean toward the Philly spread and the under, though the latter is our favorite pick of the two.

• Magic vs. 76ers pick: Under 211.5 points at BetMGM

How to Watch Magic vs. 76ers

• When: Friday, April 12 @ 7:00 p.m. ET

• Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

• TV: NBA League Pass

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