The number 8 seed in the Eastern Conference is on the line as the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic get to decide who plays the Detroit Pistons in the 1st Round of the Playoffs. The Hornets head into the game as slight favorites, can they take advantage of a seemingly disheartened Orlando Magic team?
Catch the tip-off live from 7.30 pm ET on Prime Video, I’ve come up with a Same Game Parlay bet to enhance your viewing experience. The NBA postseason begins this weekend, so don’t forget to check our NBA Picks for all the games being played on Saturday and Sunday. Now let’s get into my bet for Hornets vs Magic!
Charlotte Hornets ML (-164)
Paolo Banchero to Score 20+ Points (-265)
Coby White 3+ Made Threes (+220)
Same Game Parlay odds: +544
Charlotte Hornets ML (-164)
There are several reasons why we should consider backing the Hornets here. One of those is definitely the fact that they had an extra day of rest having played their play-in game a day before than the Magic did. Plus, the overall atmosphere around the team is just much better following such a dramatic win over Miami, while the body language of the Orlando players looked very defeated after their loss in Philadelphia. There’s also the edge in head-to-head meetings for the Hornets this season. These two teams faced off four times, after the initial win by Orlando way back in October, the Hornets responded with 3 consecutive wins. The most recent one was back on March 19th where they won by 19 points, connecting on 22 threes. Orlando ranks only 15th when it comes to opponent three-point percentage in home games this season, that’s certainly one of the areas the Hornets will look to exploit. More often than not we’ve seen this Magic team look like they’ve given up on their head coach, it is very likely that we’ll be seeing someone else at the helm next season. Not sure about you, but I’d much rather watch a feisty Hornets vs Pistons 1st Round. Give me Charlotte on the Money Line here.
Paolo Banchero to Score 20+ Points (-265)
Banchero let a lot to be desired following his performance on Wednesday in the loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s been the leader of this Orlando team for years now and you’d think he’d do better than a 7-for-22 effort in a game where his team can secure a postseason berth. The good news is Banchero gets a chance to redeem himself and with the stakes being a lot higher this time around, I think he delivers a solid performance for his team. He’s been very reliable from a bettors’ perspective when it comes to clearing this line, doing so in 61% of games played (45/73). That number jumps up to 84% (11/13 games) in head-to-head meetings against the Hornets, so it’s quite obvious that Charlotte has major issues trying to contain the Magic PF. With their season on the line the Magic cannot afford to experiment here, so let’s hope they go to their best player early and often.
Coby White 3+ Made Threes (+220)
Although 19 points doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, the performance Coby White put up against the Miami Heat on Tuesday was something else. He hit key clutch shots down the stretch helping the Hornets push the game to overtime where they eventually came out on top by 1 point. White has been in this situation before as a member of the Chicago Bulls, more than once actually and I’m convinced the Hornets will once again turn to him if the likes of Knueppel and others continue to struggle shooting the ball. White’s three-ball has been going in at a rate of 37.5% from deep in his last 9 games, really solid for a player who is coming off the bench and logging just 18.9 mins per game. He’s had some big time performances against the Magic over the past couple of seasons, earlier this year he went off for 27 points in just 23 mins less than a month into his Hornets career. His career high in points (44) actually came in a game against the Orlando Magic back in March of last year when he drained 7 threes as a member of the Bulls. We can only hope he continues his stellar shooting again on Friday, leading the Hornets to their first playoff berth since 2016.
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