The NBA Cup Semifinals begin on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET, with the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic squaring off at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
To get here, the Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors 117-101 in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round, while the Magic beat the Miami Heat 117-108.
Below, you’ll find three NBA Cup predictions for Knicks vs Magic.
Knicks vs Magic Predictions
All NBA odds used for these Knicks vs Magic best bets are current as of Thursday, Dec. 11, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Knicks -4.5 (-105) vs Magic
While both defenses have been playing well, I trust the Knicks’ offense more at this point.
New York is shooting 42.9% from 3-point range over its last three games (sixth-best in the NBA) and 56% on 2-point shots over that same span (15th).
These percentages are both better than their season-long averages, especially the 3-point shooting, which is up from 37.8%.
The Magic also aren’t at full strength right now, as they continue to play without both Moritz and Franz Wagner, so I’m taking the Knicks to cover -4.5 as my NBA pick of the day.
Under 223.5 Total Points (-110)
As mentioned, both defenses are playing well, so the under feels like a natural choice.
The Magic are holding teams to 29.9% shooting from 3-point range (fourth) and 53.7% from 2-point range over their last three games (13th).
Meanwhile, the Knicks are holding opponents to 48.3% on 2-point shots (fourth) and 31.1% on 3-point shots (fifth) over that same span.
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Desmond Bane: Under 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-180)
Turning things over to some Knicks vs Magic prop bets, I’m going with the under on Bane’s 3-pointers made.
Bane is shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc and making 1.8 per game on 5.2 tries. He’s also made two or fewer 3-point shots in three of his last five games.
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On Saturday, he’ll take on a Knicks defense that’s holding teams to 31.1% shooting beyond the arc over their last three, and they held the Raptors to just 28.9%.
I’ll take the under against a solid Knicks perimeter defense.
