Insurance companies will be watching the January 13th NBA free betting pick with intent eyes as both Orlando and Sacramento are saddled with injuries. Oddsmakers have made the Kings -2 point favorites in what could become a war of attrition, and the Magic are just 5-13 on the road this season.
Can Orlando Defense Put the Clamps On?
Sacramento has a couple players returning and a couple others out with injury and illness. That could make it really difficult to get into an offensive groove for a team that struggles to score anyways putting up just 106.2 ppg.
The Kings’ offensive struggles and Orlando having one of the better defenses in the league does give the Magic an edge in the January 13th NBA free betting pick. The total for Monday’s game is just 211.5 which may seem on the high side considering Orlando has held 6 of the last 7 opponents to 101 points or less.
The Magic don’t exactly put up a lot of points either, in fact their 103.5 ppg is last in the league. Throw in the fact that Orlando has lost and failed to cover five straight games in this series and it’s getting easier to see why Sacramento is a slight favorite at home.
The Kings are banged up, but so is Orlando. The Magic will for sure be without Jonathan Isaac (knee) but could also miss Aaron Gordon (calf) and D.J. Augustin (knee). Orlando’s #29 FG shooting and #27 ranked 3-point shooting squad cannot afford to miss too many players. Nikola Vucevic has still posted a double-double in 5 of the last 6 while Evan Fournier went for 28 last game.
Sacramento Does Match Up Well With Orlando
Orlando hasn’t beaten Sacramento since 2016 but that streak could be in jeopardy considering the health status of the Kings. Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) and Richaun Holmes (shoulder) are out for sure for the Kings. Cory Joseph (illness), Harrison Barnes (knee) and Nemanja Bjelica (ankle) are all a game-time-decision that could be less than full strength.
The Kings are expected to be getting Marvin Bagley III (foot) back however which helps greatly on the post defense vs. Vucevic. The Kings have wins over Memphis, Golden State, and Phoenix over the last 2 weeks while losing a 2-point game to the Pelicans and taking an expected thumping from Milwaukee.
Orlando ranks #9 defensively vs. the PG position and 19th vs. the SG spot. This means De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield could have some trouble getting going on Monday. The Kings return the favor defensively though, ranking in the top 5 in the league vs. the C. Neutralizing Vucevic gives Sacramento a huge edge in this one.
January 13th NBA Free Betting Pick
This game becomes kind of a toss-up with so many players at the risk of being out with some sort of illness or injury. Sacramento definitely gets an edge being at home – not because the Kings are great at Golden 1 but because the Magic struggle so much going away. It’s hard to see either team getting much more than 105 points in this matchup of two of the six slowest paced teams in the league.
Free Pick: Orlando / Sacramento *Under* 211.5
