Today's NBA Best Bet: Time To Get Aboard The Celtics' Train

The Orlando Magic never seemed up to it in Saturday’s home game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Orlando was down 13 points after the first quarter en route to a 20-point loss. After witnessing that performance, I’ve realized that perhaps I was a bit overzealous in playing the Magic as our best yesterday.

As a result, I plan to take a different approach Sunday when the Magic hosts the Celtics.

Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic, Total and Odds

Moneyline: Celtics -370 | Magic +295

Spread: Celtics -8.5 (-110) | Magic +8.5 (-110)

Total: Over 215.5 (-110) | Under 215.5 (-110)

NBA Championship Odds: Celtics +6000 | Magic +50000

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000.

Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic, News, Analysis and Picks

The Boston Celtics might finally be hitting their stride as they’re currently on a four-game winning streak with seven wins in their past ten games. This current win streak marks a season-high for a Celtics team that’s experienced its share of struggles under first-year coach Ime Udoka. Two of the Celtics’ four victories on this win streak have been by double-digits as they come into this contest laying 8.5 points on the road.

As for the Magic, we already mentioned their disastrous performance yesterday, and now they have a quick 24-hour turnaround with the Celtics coming to town. Thus, it feels like a particularly tough spot for an Orlando team that’s 2-9 straight up when playing on no rest.

In contrast, Boston will have a one-day rest advantage following a road victory over the Pistons Friday night. There are certainly some promising signs for the Celtics, considering that they’ve scored at least 100 points in each of their past four games. At times, Boston’s struggled offensively as they’re in the league’s bottom half in efficiency with 106.8 points per 100 possessions this season. However, that number’s up to 111.4 points per 100 possessions over the past three games.

Defensively, the Celtics rank fourth in efficiency as they’re allowing 103.3 points per 100 possessions. Furthermore, Boston has led the league in this category over its past three games as it’s allowed just 96.6 points per 100 possessions.

I think we could be on to something here with the Celtics, given the form they’re in at the moment. It’s also worth noting that Boston’s 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in its previous five meetings against the Magic and 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings on the road in Orlando. That’s good enough to get me to the window with the Celtics. Lay the points with the road favorites.

Pick: Celtics 8.5 (-114)

All NBA predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.