Paolo Banchero's return might not be enough for the Orlando Magic against a Minnesota Timberwolves team finding success with Donte DiVincenzo in the starting lineup.
The Orlando Magic roster is in battered shape as Paolo Banchero 's return to the lineup may not be enough against Donte DiVincenzo and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves . The Orlando Magic held onto the No. 4 line in the Eastern Conference during Paolo Banchero ’s two-plus month absence due to an oblique injury, but the blossoming star’s possible return tonight will probably not be enough against the Minnesota Timberwolves .
Orlando continues to be shorthanded, and Banchero is not going to lean into a full workload on his first night back. Those realities create Minnesota value in these free, but my Timberwolves vs. Magic predictions focus on one specific visiting player as he sees more and more of a role in the Minnesota rotation. Tip comes at 7 ET on Thursday, January 9. Banchero’s hopeful return will help the defense as a whole, but he is not one to slow point guards, so he will be little help against Without Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Mo Wagner and Franz Wagner, plus Banchero not being at full strength, the Magic turn to the likes of Cole Anthony for more than 35 minutes a night. Caleb Houstan and Tristan da Silva will be able to provide help on defense and Anthony Black played 26 minutes just three nights ago. Those are all NBA players and deserve no disrespect, but the fact of the matter is, Orlando’s perimeter defense is not as vaunted right now as is the team’s general design. He started the last two games in place of Mike Conley, a decision that sparked two wins. DiVincenzo’s minutes tick up, but not by much, in this new lineup. What is notable is the advantageous matchups he enjoys as opponents need to more focus on Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle than on him. As a result, DiVincenzo has taken eight 3-pointers in each of the last two games. He had reached that mark in just three of his previous 19 games. The Timberwolves’ trading for DiVincenzo was his shooting, both in quality and in quantity. Inserting DiVincenzo into the starting lineup has seemingly again unlocked his volume. The Over 10.5 points approach is a bit more conservative, despite being only 20 cents more expensive. becoming more of a playmaker might not be a development you instinctively tie directly to Mike Conley moving to the second unit, but it has been part of Minnesota’s intention. With Conley not starting, Edwards initiates that many more possessions. In the first game with this lineup, he notched eight assists despite also taking 29 shots. That fell the next night, only three assists, but that was in part because DiVincenzo went 4-of-12 from the field, outdone by Jaden McDaniels’ 2-of-9. If expecting DiVincenzo to play better, then it is also reasonable to expect Edwards’ assist tally to tick up. This low total of 199.5 is the lowest of the NBA season thus far, and just decent Timberwolves shooting should be enough to propel toward the Over, particularly with Banchero probably bucket-hunting early in his tentative return. Take advantage of the early win payout at bet365, where any pre-game NBA moneyline bet get
NBA Timberwolves Magic Predictions Donte Divincenzo Paolo Banchero Anthony Edwards Betting
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