New York Knicks vs Orlando Magic Prediction: Expect Knicks to win a low-scoring match

Last season, New York failed to defeat Orlando at home, even though the Knicks were the clear favorites in both games. Now the bookies are back in favor of the home team — will Tom Thibodeau's team finally manage to improve their head-to-head stats?

New York Knicks

In the current regular season, the Knicks head coach is putting even more trust in young players. Cameron Reddish has finally earned a full spot in the New York Knicks rotation, and Immanuel Quickley has won the competition over Derrick Rose. Also missing is Quentin Grimes, who the club refused to trade while making offers for Donovan Mitchell. Three-pointers by Grimes would be good for the Knicks as they are hitting just 33.3% of their three-point attempts and are 23rd in the league in three-point percentage. New York's defense still leaves much to be desired as well and they lack tenacity: For example, they are only 28th in the NBA in steals. Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett on the offensive end aren't nearly as good as they should be, and all of a sudden Julius Randle is back as the leader, averaging 19.5 points. At the point guard position Isaiah Hartenstein suddenly earned even more minutes than Mitchell Robinson, one of the biggest surprises coming out of New York at the start of the season.

Tom Thibodeau's team fell just short in their opening game of the regular season to beat Memphis, but the Knicks made up for it in their most recent game against Detroit, winning 130-106. Julius Randle was good from beyond the arc but missed a lot from midrange. RJ Barrett was more efficient in the passing game and all of a sudden Immanuel Quickley was the hero of the game with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Jalen Brunson was surprisingly efficient with his second consecutive game against the Grizzlies without a foul. Brunson added 6 assists to his 17 points.

Orlando Magic

The Magic can't play to their strengths yet, as they are constantly haunted by lineup losses. Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz are still not back in action, though the latter should heal from a thumb injury soon. Cole Anthony missed the opening game due to illness, and Jalen Suggs sprained his ankle the day before. It's especially frustrating for Suggs, as he's just finding his game and starting to justify the high pick in the draft. While it seems as though Franz Wagner hasn't improved from last season, rookie Paolo Banchero has looked decent so far, averaging 23.3 points per game. Surprisingly, amidst a lot of youth Terrence Ross gets a lot of time in the rotation, and the veteran does not disappoint, hitting 3 three-pointers per game and scoring 17.7 points. The coach tries to use Mo Bamba and Bol Bol, but they can't seem to get the full benefit of their physique.

In all three of their lost regular season games, Jamahl Mosley's team has fallen just a little short. The day before, Orlando lost at home to Boston 120-126. All in all the Magic played solid defense and tried not to give their opponent too much space, but the Celtics had their hands full shooting from beyond the arc. Orlando shot a lot from under the basket and even a winning layup could not save their team. Of the Magic's starting five, only Terrence Ross made at least 50% of his shots from the field, making him the highest-scoring player on the team with 29 points.

Expert Betting Tips

The Knicks have good defensive potential and have already handled Detroit well at home. Orlando has their hands full on defense and that should be enough against New York who clearly lacks firepower from the three-point line. The Magic played decent defense in the paint against Boston and can neutralize Julius Randle. RJ Barrett is also a strong scorer in the paint, while his long-range attacks are average. Here are the betting options:

• TU (220.5) for 2.065;
• H1 (-7.5) for 1.90;
• Jalen Brunson TO (18.5) for 2.00.

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