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The Magic have failed to reach the 30-win plateau in five of the last six seasons.
But the oddsmakers have spoken and they believe the Magic will be hovering in the 30-win vicinity next season. The over/under win totals for the 2018-2019 NBA season were released on Sunday and the Magic are at 31.5.
NBA seas wins
— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) August 5, 2018
Atl 23.5
Bos 57.5
Brk 32.5
Cha 35.5
Chi 27.5
Cle 30.5
Dal 34.5
Den 47.5
Det 37.5
GS 62.5
Hou 54.5
Ind 47.5
LAC 35.5
LAL 48.5
Mem 34.5
Mia 41.5
Mil 46.5
Min 44.5
NO 45.5
NY 29.5
OKC 50.5
Orl 31.5
Phi 54.5
Phx 28.5
Prt 41.5
Sac 25.5
SA 43.5
Tor 54.5
Uth 48.5
Wsh 44.5
The Magic’s expected win total is the seventh lowest in the league behind Atlanta (23.5), Sacramento (25.5), Chicago (27.5), Phoenix (28.5), New York (29.5), and Cleveland (30.5).
I expect the Magic to improve on last season by about five wins, which would bring them to 30 wins. So if I were a betting man, I’d take the under. But I think the Magic have enough potential and room for improvement to entice some to gamble on the over.
Last season the Magic won a measly 25 games, but each of their three leading scorers missed nearly a third of the season due to injury with Aaron Gordon out for 24 games and Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic missing 25 games each. In addition, Jonathan Isaac played in only 27 games of his rookie campaign and Terrence Ross played in just 24 games before suffering a season-ending injury.
With the healthy return of each, and the addition of Mo Bamba, it’s not unreasonable to think the Magic can muster a few more wins to get into the low or even mid-30s, especially in a weakened Eastern Conference. Also don’t forget the turnaround that new Magic coach Steve Clifford helped orchestrate in his first season as head coach in Charlotte, helping the team improve from 21 wins to 43 wins.
On the other side of the argument, the Magic did little to improve at the point guard position and will enter the season with a career back-up in the starting spot. The team is banking almost entirely on internal development to improve upon its win total from last season. If that does not happen, the Magic could be destined for another 20-something win campaign.
So if I was placing a bet, I’d be staying far away from the Magic. But just for fun, here are some bets that I would consider making:
Washington over 44.5
San Antonio over 43.5
Philadelphia under 54.5
Portland over 41.5
OKC under 50.5
Curious to hear the community’s thoughts on the Magic’s over/under. Join the discussion below.