Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 23/11/2023, 15:16  by Joseph King | Modified on 23/11/2023 at 15:16 in NBA Prediction

The NBA In-Season Tournament continues on Black Friday with this East: Group C as the third-placed Orlando Magic host the first-place Boston Celtics. Boston won both of their opening games, giving them a 2-0 lead with two games left to play. Orlando are in a tough spot as they will likely have to record a big win over Boston if they are to have a shot at advancing to the quarter-finals. The Magic have a 2-1 tournament record and will close out their group stage campaign here. The In-Season Tournament sees only the group winners automatically advance, while the best second-place team from each conference also earns a spot in the last eight.

The Magic have shot up to fourth in the Eastern Conference and are one of the NBA’s most surprising teams of the 2023/24 season. They finished last season in 13th-place with a 34-48 record but look set to battle it out for a spot in the NBA Playoffs this year. Orlando’s 10-5 record has them involved in a four-way tie for the second-best record in the East. The Magic pulled off a highly-impressive 124-119 comeback win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets in their most recent appearance. Orlando scored 42 fourth-quarter points to overturn a six-point deficit heading into the final 12 minutes. The win was their fifth in a row, the longest active winning streak in the Eastern Conference.

Boston continues to roll through the regular season and the In-Season Tournament. Wins over the Nets and the Raptors has them topping the group with a 2-0 record, while their 12-3 mark on the season is the best in the NBA and sees them leading the East. Boston were able to bounce back after a surprise overtime defeat to the Hornets on Monday with a 119-116 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. The Celtics have now won seven of their last eight and are looking like the best that the NBA has to offer. The visitors are the current betting favorites to both win the inaugural NBA Cup as well as win the NBA Finals.