Orlando Magic vs LA Clippers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 29/03/2024, 02:40  by Joseph King | Modified on 29/03/2024 at 05:02 in NBA Prediction

The East’s fifth-seed Orlando Magic will host the West’s fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers when the two teams face off on Friday night. Orlando has a record of 42-30 on the season while the Clippers have the slightly better record of 45-27. The Magic come into this matchup off the back of a 101-93 home defeat to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. The result means that the Magic have now lost their last two in a row, both coming at home to Western Conference teams. It’s a rare sequence of results for Orlando as they have been so good at the Kia Center this season, posting a 25-11 home record overall. The hosts will have to fix their misfiring offense if they are to stand a chance against the Clippers. Orlando shot 42% in the loss to the Warriors while going 11-21 from the free throw line. The Magic rank only 26th in scoring but are carried by their ironclad defense which ranks second in adjusted defensive rating (111.3).

The Clippers have certainly cooled off following their red hot run earlier in 2024. They’ve now gone 8-7 over in the last 30 days which sees them sitting fourth in the West standings. LA will be looking to end the season strongly as they currently hold a half game lead over the fifth-placed Pelicans and a two-game lead over the sixth-placed Mavericks. The Clips are coming off a 108-107 away win over the 76ers which saw their defense lock up the win with multiple stops in the final 15 seconds. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Clippers and was only their fourth win in the last 10 games overall. Los Angeles will be looking to end the season strongly as they gear up for the playoffs where they will be quietly confident of making a deep run.