The knockout round of the 2024 NBA Cup commences on Tuesday night with the Milwaukee Bucks hosting the Orlando Magic, and oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook have Milwaukee as the substantial 7.5-point betting favorites at home with Orlando plagued by injuries to its best players.
Here's a spread, moneyline, total, and player prop expert pick for this matchup on December 10, with the winner advancing to the semifinals in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks Betting Odds
Preview: Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7 p.m. ET
| Team | Spread | Money | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Magic | +7.5 (-112) | +240 | O 214 (-112) |
| Milwaukee Bucks | -7.5 (-108) | -290 | U 214 (-108) |
Odds as of December 10, 2024 at FanDuel
Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks Expert Picks
Milwaukee Bucks ATS -7.5 (-108), ML (-290)
Torn oblique injuries to Paolo Banchero, and just recently Franz Wagner, leave the Magic searching for answers as to who will step up and carry the load offensively. The answer in Orlando's surprise 115-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night was Jalen Suggs, who dropped a game-high 26 points on 18 shot attempts.
When Banchero went down, though, Wagner was the one to put up monster numbers by averaging 26.1 points and shooting 45.7 percent from the field. That's a lot of points to replace and spread out through the rest of the roster, and perhaps Suggs is the man for the job. However, when going up against the Bucks, who own a top-10 offense that scores 113.9 points per 100 possessions, keeping pace may be strenuous with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
Milwaukee is only 3-3 this season against the spread when favored by 7.5 points or more at Fiserv Forum, but 5-1 SU. The 7.5-point spread is actually the second-most points painting the Magic as a road underdog, with the team 1-4 both ATS and SU when the home side is favored by 5.5 points or more.
The win over Phoenix moved Orlando to a perfect 10-0 at home, but it's still 7-9 away from the Kia Center. The Bucks are 7-1 in their backyard across their last eight attempts, so expect Milwaukee to cover and take the moneyline before making its way to Sin City this weekend.
UNDER 214 Total Points (-108)
The Magic (12-14) and Bucks (10-13) rank in the bottom third of the Association in the OVER/UNDER market, and with Orlando's lack of bodies, it's hard to imagine this being a high-scoring affair.
These teams also hit the UNDER in three of their four meetings during the 2023-24 campaign, further validating this wager.
Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks Player Prop
Goga Bitadze OVER 19.5 Points + Rebounds (-104)
Sunday's performance against the Suns by Goga Bitadze bodes well for the role he'll likely have moving forward with Orlando's frontcourt in desperate need of an interior presence.
Attempting his most shots of the season with 15, Bitadze registered a line of 21 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists in just over 30 minutes of action. Milwaukee allows the sixth-most rebounds to opposing teams at home at 45.5, so barring Bitadze getting into foul trouble early, he should be able to nail this combination prop outside of Sunday being an anomaly.
Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks Betting Trends
- Jalen Suggs has exceeded 8.5 rebounds and assists in four of his last five games vs. bottom-10 defenses for rebounds allowed (9.4 rebounds + assists/game average).
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has failed to exceed 13.5 points + rebounds in 14 of his last 17 games on the road (9.8 points + rebounds/game average).
- Brook Lopez has exceeded 1.5 first-quarter points in 17 of his last 19 games at home (4.8 first-quarter points/game average).
*all betting trends courtesy of Outlier
