Magic vs. Suns Prediction and Odds for November 18: Magic Look to Extend Winning Streak to Six

The Orlando Magic (8-6) will face the Phoenix Suns (9-5) in the desert on Monday night in a matchup between teams headed in the opposite direction.

The Magic won five straight games but are only 1-6 on the road and 1-3 against the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Suns lost three straight games but are 5-1 at home and are 2-0 against the Eastern Conference.

Suns star Devin Booker dropped 44 points in his last game immediately after he said he didn’t try to force baskets at this stage of his career.

Here, we will analyze the odds and share our favorite betting picks for the Magic vs. Suns matchup.

Magic vs. Suns Betting Odds for Monday, November 18

No team was better against the spread last year than the Orlando Magic. This time around, they’re 7-7 (50 percent) ATS, 6-2 ATS as the favorite, and 1-6 (14.3 percent) ATS on the road.

The Suns are 5-9 (35.7 percent) ATS, 3-3 (50 percent) ATS as an underdog, and 1-5 (16.7 percent) ATS at home.

The following odds are from BetMGM Sportsbook. Place your bets on the Magic vs. Suns game at BetMGM and claim up to $1,500 in bonus bets with our promo code WSNSPORTS.

Magic vs. Suns Prediction

Orlando Magic Preview

The Magic are hitting their stride even without the injured Paolo Banchero, who had a terrific start to the year. Their five-game win streak saw them beat the New Orleans Pelicans (by 27 points), the Indiana Pacers, and the Philadelphia 76ers, among other teams. 

Staying true to their modus operandi, the Magic posted the second-best defensive rating (104.9) and allowed the fewest points per game (102.4) in the sport. Their offensive rating (1-8.5) is only 24th, but they’re ninth in rebound rate and make the ninth-most free-throws per game despite playing at a pace below league-average.

Obviously, the offensive improvements are going to take time. Banchero’s absence allows opposing teams to allocate their resources more evenly while also showing more attention to Franz Wagner, the primary option during his spell on the sideline.

The Magic went from 11 made threes per game (last) in 2023-24 to 11.9 (24th) this season, but they’re also below league-average in turnover rate and assist-to-turnover ratio.

Wagner leads active Magic players in scoring at 22.2 points per night and also leads the team in average assists with 4.8. Jalen Suggs scored a career-best 15.1 points per game to go with 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists, while a variety of young players have also been given chances to get on the court and develop.

While the Magic have one of the best benches in the league, the concern ahead of Monday’s matchup is that nobody performs well on the road.

Whereas the Magic have the best home net rating (17.4) in the league—even better than the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers—they’re 22nd in road net rating (-7.2).

Phoenix Suns Preview

Phoenix started the year 8-1, only to lose four of its last five games. That’s been heavily influenced by injuries to Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, both of whom are unavailable on Monday.

This Suns team is not totally reliant on its star players like recent iterations were. Instead, they have been very solid on defense and created lots of open looks, mostly from three, by using ball movement and pace to put pressure on their opponents.

Phoenix ranks 14th in defensive (113.4) and 16th in offensive (112.3) rating, though that undersells how impressive they looked at times. The combination of offensive talent with willing defenders and added playmakers has made this Suns team, still only weeks into its first campaign together, better than any of their recent Frank Vogel-led teams.

One of the biggest changes this year is that the Suns are taking and making more threes. They rank ninth in makes per game (14.9) and 10th in percentage (37), which will be an important metric against an Orlando defense that is great inside the arc but average outside of it.

As mentioned, Booker dropped 44 points on 51.7 percent shooting in his last game. He averaged less than 24 points prior to that game and is still having a relative down year, but he’s now caught fire and is as dangerous as ever heading into Monday night.

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Magic vs. Suns Betting Pick

• Magic vs. Suns pick: Suns +2.5 (-105) at BetMGM

For whatever reason, the Magic have not been able to stack solid performances on the road. A similar scenario unfolded last year, when they were 29-12 at home but only 18-23 on the road.

The Suns are on a losing streak, but Booker had a tremendous last game, and they have the activity and cohesion to put up a fight even if Durant and Beal are out.

This should be a low-scoring game, but Phoenix’s ability to anchor down on defense and create open shots, particularly from three, thanks to their movement gives them a great chance to pull off an upset at home.

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How to Watch Magic vs. Suns on 11/18/24

• When: Monday, Nov. 18 @ 7:00/9:00 p.m. MT/ET

• Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ

• TV: NBA League Pass

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