The most accurate Timberwolves at Magic prediction is our best NBA bet of the day for January 9th, 2024. Two young teams go head-to-heat in Orlando, Florida, on a six-game Tuesday night in the National Basketball Association. It won’t be too far-fetched to say that the Magic and the Timberwolves have been among the biggest surprises this season, in a good way.
We all expected Minnesota to be better this year, but few predicted they would be sitting at the very top of a stacked and ultra competitive Western Conference. Yes, you got that right, the Minnesota Timberwolves have the best record in the West with 25 wins and just 10 losses, which is also a club record for this stage of the season. A bit of a concern for head coach Chris Flynch is that half of those losses have all come in the team’s last 10 games (5-5). Is the fairy tale start for the Timberwolves about to end or is that just a minor slump they’ve hit along the way? We bring you the answer with our top NBA betting pick for today and this Timberwolves at Magic prediction.
It’s a Kind of Magic
Let’s start with the hosts in this NBA prediction. The Orlando Magic are one of the best young teams in the NBA along with the OKC Thunder, the Timberwolves, and I’d also throw in there the Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, and the Sacramento Kings. To focus on the Magic though, they currently have a record of 21 wins and 15 losses, which currently places them in the 5th spot of the Eastern conference tied with four other teams! Indeed, if you look at the standings, you’d see that the Heat, Pacers, Knicks and the Cavs have the exact same record of 21-15. So it’s a pretty well-balanced East, which is always great for the neutral fans and basketball fans in general, because it guarantees tight games where anyone can beat anyone in the 23/24 NBA season.
The Orlando Magic are the fifth youngest team in the NBA this season with an average age of 24.792. In comparison, the Timberwolves are 11th on that list with an average age of 25.31. A fun fact for you, and you can use it for some of your NBA betting tips, the Spurs are the youngest team in the NBA with an average age of 23.52, while the OKC Thunder are second with 24.12.
If we examine the roster of the Orland Magic, we can see they got some bright stars in there. The Wagner brothers are really good ballers, both of them. Franz and Mo. And don’t forget they won the FIBA World Cup last summer. Franz has had the bigger role and he is averaging 20.9 PPG with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. But Moritz is also quite solid with 11.3 PPG and 4 rebounds, and you have to take in the fact that he was injured for most of this season and just came back around New Year. He is only going to get more minutes and more touches in the upcoming months, provided that all is well health-wise.
Let’s shift to the injury news surround this Timberwolves at Magic prediction and NBA betting picks. Jonathan Isaac will miss his 9th straight game, so Mo Wagner will get more minutes along with Okeke and Caleb Houston. Garry Harris will miss his 3rd straight game, so that means more playing time for Cole Anthony, who is really good. Australian sharp shooter Joe Ingles will also this contest, and that would be his 13th straight missed game.
Banchero Has Been On a Tear Lately
I’d say Orlando’s best player and go-to guy is Paolo Banchero. The 21-year old forward from Duke is averaging 23 points along with 7 rebounds and 5 assist. Banchero has been on an offensive tear lately. In the team’s last game – an OT win at Atlanta, Banchero finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds. The previous game was a major statement win as Orlando won at Denver against the champs and Paolo had a big night against the Joker finishing with 32 points and 10 rebounds. On January 4th, Banchero had 43 points against the Kings.
Here is what Orlando Magic’s head coach Mosley said about him: “He’s a winner. I’ll probably say the same exact thing every time: He’s a winner. He’s going to find a way to help the team win, whatever that looks like. Finding guys, finding mismatches, defensive assignments, whatever it looks like. This young man is growing more and more each and every single game.”
The T-Wolves Are For Real
As mentioned, the Timberwolves have hit a bit of a rough patch lately, but they are the real deal, and I do expect them to start another winning streak soon. Their starting five is one of the best in the whole league. Their guards are Anthony Edwards, who looks bizarrely similar to Michael Jordan, both in appearance and playing style, and the super efficient and clutch vet Mike Conley, who is proven to be one of the best in this league.
At the forward spots, you have Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels. Kat is one of the best young power forwards in the game. He can shoot, he can put in the deck. He has the complete package and averages 21.5 PPG with 9 rebounds. At center, they got the best rim protector in the game – Rudy Gobert at 7-1 feet tall, averaging a double-double with 12.5 PPG and 12 rebounds.
The Wolves’ bench unit is also quite solid. Naz Reid is having the best season of his career with 12.7 points per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is great young guard who can shoot the 3. Troy Brown Jr is a solid Guard/Forward who came from the Lakers. He can stretch the floor and defend. Kyle Anderson, aka Slow-Mo, also a solid piece.
