Three days have only passed since the NBA kicked off its 70th season and the action has been living up to the expectations. The action continues this Friday night with 12 high-quality games on the schedule. One of those games features the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will be striving to take care of business once again when they lock horns with the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. Can they succeed in doing so?
Read on below for a comprehensive breakdown of this intriguing matchup and while you’re at it, check out our other previews as well: Warriors vs. Rockets and Nets vs. Spurs. Enjoy.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Orlando Magic Betting Preview
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
When: Friday, October 30, 2015, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder (-8.5) vs. Orlando Magic (+8.5); total: 208.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Billy Donovan era began with all smiles as the Oklahoma City Thunder came up with a thrilling come-from-behind win, 112-106, over the Spurs on Wednesday night. They were led by none other than their two superstars in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, who finally played his first game back after undergoing bone graft surgery on his right foot.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Westbrook picked up from where he left off last season, exploding for a game-high 33 points and 10 assists to lead the charge for the Thunder. Durant, on the other hand, provided a solid outing despite still shaking off some of the rust by going 6-for-19 from the field for 22 points. The two will hope to build on their respective performances when they pay the Orlando Magic a visit tonight.
For OKC to come out on top again in this one, they can’t just rely on their All-Stars to carry the load most of the time. The Magic are surely not going to leave Westbrook and Durant unguarded. That being said, the onus is on Dion Waiters to provide them a helping hand off the bench. Waiters, who was acquired from Cleveland last January, had a decent offensive effort against the Spurs with eight points on 4-for-8 shooting while adding four rebounds and two assists under his name.
Over on defense, Serge Ibaka is going to be their main anchor as always. He had 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks while turned the ball over four times in the same game. Throughout his career opposite the Magic, Ibaka is posting 10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per contest.
The Thunder are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games as the favorites.
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Betting on the Orlando Magic
New Magic head coach, Scott Skiles, meanwhile, failed to get win No. 1 in their opener against the visiting Wizards, who emerged with the close 88-87 triumph at Amway Center. The Magic basically couldn’t convert down the stretch or make the necessary stops as John Wall’s floater with 12.7 seconds remaining on the clock sealed their fate. They’ll definitely be looking to bounce back versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In order to do so, they need to make their shots. Orlando had 100 field goal attempts but only converted 37 percent of those. The three-point shot wasn’t also falling for them, nailing just five out of 26 tries. This cannot be the case later if Elfrid Payton and company hope to keep up with OKC’s offense that’s highlighted by two scoring machines in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Speaking of Payton, he was actually one of the bright spots in their game against the Wizards. The 21-year-old point guard, who averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.9 dimes per contest in his rookie campaign, flirted with a triple-double despite a miserable shooting night. Payton finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Defense, though, will ultimately decide the outcome of the game for the Magic with Durant and Westbrook expected to stay aggressive all game long. That said, the pressure will be on their defense to make the necessary adjustments and hopefully force some errors against the Thunder, who turned the ball over 19 times in their season-opener versus the Spurs.
Orlando is 2-8 SU and 4-6 ATS in its previous 10 games as the underdogs.
Writer’s Prediction
OKC (-8.5) wins but is unable to cover the spread.
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