The Indiana Pacers (1-2) visit the Orlando Magic (2-1) on NBA Monday, tipping off at 7 p.m. ET from Orlando, Magic. The game is airing live on Bally Sports Midwest and streaming on NBA League Pass.
The Pacers (+5.5) and Magic (-5.5) are even on the spread, with the over/under currently at 224 points. The Magic are -221 favorites on the moneyline to win outright, while the Pacers are +180 to pull off the upset.
Let's dive into my Pacers vs. Magic predictions and NBA picks for Monday, October 28.
Pacers vs. Magic Odds
| Pacers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+5.5 -108 | 224 -110o/-110u | +180 |
| Magic Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-5.5 -112 | 224 -110o/-110u | -221 |
- Pacers vs. Magic spread: Magic -5.5
- Pacers vs. Magic over/under: 224
- Pacers vs. Magic moneyline: Magic -221, Pacers +180
- Pacers vs. Magic best bet: Magic -221 ML
Pacers vs. Magic Injuries
- Magic F Jonathan Isaac listed as questionable with hip injury.
- Magic F Tristan da Silva listed as questionable with illness.
Pacers vs. Magic Picks & Prediction
Prediction
Orlando Magic ML
Orlando has a rest advantage, a strong home-court advantage, and a toughness that Indiana lacks. I prefer the ML play because the spread is pricey at -5.5/-6, with a total trending towards the under.
For all of your NBA bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NBA odds page.
Moneyline
My preferred play is an ML angle here.
The spread sits right in the key number zone, and while Orlando seems to be on the early sharp side as of this writing, I do not want to mess around with those numbers.
Moneylines operate in ranges for spreads, and -230 is a fair price on a -5.5 favorite. When I play a juiced ML like this, I play one unit and reduce my take-home.
Sign me up to ride the sharp side at home, a team with a strong home-court advantage who is healthy and rested and off a road loss. Strong situational spot for Orlando.
Spread
The spread for this game opened at -5.5 and is trending towards a -6. This is a steep price for an Orlando team that plays tough and well in close games.
The total is also trending towards the under. There is a correlation between overs and favorites covering a spread north of the two-possession threshold for late-game fouling.
Over/Under
The total is dropping in a Pacers game! I want absolutely nothing to do with this — there are red flags all over the place.
The Pacers play with such tempo and will look to do that to get right from their early season woes.
I have confidence the Magic offense can keep up in a pace-up game, so I will stay as far away as I can from this game total. The sharp side is the under currently, but that sounds gross.
My pick: Magic ML
Pacers vs. Magic Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Kia Center, Orlando, Florida |
| Date: | Monday, October 28 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | Bally Sports Midwest / Streaming on YouTube TV |
Magic vs. Pacers is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET start time, live from Kia Center in Orlando, Florida on Monday. The game is live on Bally Sports Midwest and is streaming on NBA League Pass.
Pacers vs. Magic NBA Preview
Indiana Pacers: Concerning Start
The Indiana Pacers are soft this season.
They lack toughness and grit, and the unspoken rule changes in the league reduce their edge in pushing pace and worrying less about defense.
They should have lost or not covered Game 1 against the Pistons, winning the fourth quarter by 14 points in probably a sub-5% likely outcome.
Then they got beat up by the Knicks and lost to the depleted Pacers. The Magic are the opposite type of team the Pacers want to see right now.
Orlando Magic: Ready and Rested
This is a strong situational spot for the Magic.
They are young, tough, and physical at home, which should lead to a friendlier whistle and good role-player shooting and coming off a loss. I expect a bounce-back effort for Orlando.
They are also rested while the Pacers are on the second night of a road back-to-back, so I can see Orlando taking advantage of a tired Pacers roster.
