Orlando Magic vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 12/18/25

Franz Wagner was dearly missed in the NBA Cup semis against the Knicks, as Orlando fell by 12-points in Vegas. Five days later, the Magic are back in action as they head to the Mile High city to take on the Nuggets. Jalen Suggs is the latest injury causality; he suffered a hip contusion which will keep him out of this game. Not ideal ahead of a 4-game West coast road trip that begins on Thursday. The Magic have not had good luck in games against this team, winning only once in 9 visits to Ball Arena. Dealing with Nikola Jokic is always troublesome for teams, but especially for Orlando — a team that isn’t really built to handle a player like him.

The 3-time MVP Jokic is coming off a monster triple-double performance of 39 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the Nuggets’ OT win over Houston on Monday. He’s averaging close to a triple-double over the last 5 meetings with Orlando, and my only concern here are his fatigue levels following those grueling 42 mins he played vs the Rockets. The key difference between these two teams is their ability to shoot the long ball. Only the Bucks have a higher efficiency from deep range than the Nuggets do, while Orlando ranks all the way down in 25th.

Orlando will want to start off this road trip on a high note. They probably won’t have an answer for Jokic, but Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero will want to redeem themselves after losing that game against the Knicks in the NBA Cup semis. Denver probably comes out on top, but I have the Magic keeping this one close. They’ve covered the spread in 7 of 9 meetings.

Magic vs Nuggets Predictions: Orlando Magic +7 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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