Will the Magic Capitalize on Extra Rest?

In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️ 

NHL Model Predictions- Click Here

NCAAF Model Predictions- Click Here

NCAAB Model Predictions- Click Here

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NHL, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. That prediction went 1-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 5-5

Over/Under Predictions: 4-6

Puck Line Predictions: 4-6

Featured Matchup: 1-0

Don’t Miss This Weekends CFP Predictions‼️

The inaugural College Football Playoff is set to begin this Friday, and our model will have money line, over/under, and spread predictions for every matchup for Premium subscribers!

Our model has already predicted the entire CFP Bracket, which can be viewed HERE by all Premium subscribers.

Don’t miss out on the chance to win money during the college football postseason. Click the button below to upgrade your subscription today before prices rise and lock in your lifetime price of $10/month or $100/year⬇️

13 NBA games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all 13 matchups can be found below.

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Orlando Magic

Model Predicts- Thunder ML, OVER 210, Magic +6

The Oklahoma City Thunder will make the cross-country journey from Las Vegas, Nevada to Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, as they get ready to battle the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center.

Oklahoma City enters tonight’s battle fresh off a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday in the NBA Cup Finale, giving the Thunder just their sixth loss of the season. Meanwhile, Orlando is well rested as the Magic have not played since Sunday, a game in which Orlando lost 100-91 at the hands of the New York Knicks.

Orlando will continue to be without its franchise cornerstones in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, but our model projects the Magic to keep things close and cover the spread as a home underdog. Let’s dive into why that is.

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Most recent game was loss to Bucks on Tuesday

  • Lost game 97-81. Loss snapped five-game win streak

• Lack of offensive production in second half killed chances of winning NBA Cup

  • Scored 50 points in first half vs Bucks, but just 31 in second half (14 in 3rd quarter, 17 in 4th quarter)

  • Shot 34% from the floor overall and 16% from three

• OKC boasts strongest defensive unit in NBA this season

  • Rank first in Defensive Rating at 103.1 across 26 games- 2.2 points better than any other team

  • Strength of team comes on the perimeter- Holding opponents to shooting 33.1% from three this season (1st in NBA)

Orlando Magic

• Enter tonight’s matchup on two-game losing streak

  • One loss to Bucks, one loss to Knicks

  • Own -14 point differential in that span. Lost both games by single digits

• Offensive production has cratered during losing streak

  • Own 103.6 Offensive Rating across last two games (23rd in NBA)

  • Shooting 43.0% from floor overall and 23.6% from three. Leading to just 100.0 points/game

• Defense has been just as poor as offense lately

  • Opponent shooting 50.7% overall and 38.9% from three, but averaging just 107.0 points/game

What’s the Play?

Orlando doesn’t have much momentum entering this matchup while Oklahoma City is arguably the hottest team in the NBA despite last night’s loss, but we agree with our model to back the Magic on the spread tonight.

The Magic are one of the most elite home basketball teams in the NBA this season, posting a 10-1 record while playing at the Kia Center, which includes going 8-1 in nine home games with Paolo Banchero out of the lineup. Stellar play on the defensive end has been the key to that success, as the Magic have posted a 102.1 Defensive Rating across 11 home games, the best mark in the NBA this season.

Additionally, Orlando has had far more rest entering this matchup, playing just two games since December 10th, while this will be Oklahoma City’s third game since Saturday. The Magic have excelled in those situations, posting a 4-1 record in those games.

Orlando is down some talent here, but our model projects the Thunder to win by about three points, giving us room to back the Magic on the spread.

The Play: Magic +6 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Golden State Warriors- 14-11 overall this season, 7-6 as the away team

• San Antonio Spurs- 13-13 overall this season, 9-7 as the home team

• New York Knicks- 16-10 overall this season, 8-6 as the away team, and 7-3 in last ten games

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Utah Jazz- Over is 13-12 overall this season, 9-4 as the away team

• Los Angeles Lakers- Under is 15-11 this season, 8-6 as the away team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Orlando Magic- 16-12 against the spread (ATS) this season, 9-2 ATS as the home team

• Golden State Warriors- 15-12 ATS this season, 5-2 ATS as a road underdog

⭐️ NBA unveils new All-Star Game format. The NBA All-Star Game will feature a new format this season: a four-team, one-night tournament where the first team to score 40 points wins each game. Teams include three groups of eight All-Stars and the winner of the Rising Stars challenge, with rosters drafted by Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith. The league aims to boost competitiveness with this change, offering a $1.8 million prize pool, and hopes it will address criticism of past games for lacking intensity.

🏆 Bucks take down Thunder to win NBA Cup. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 to win the NBA Cup, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo's dominant triple-double performance, earning him MVP honors. The Bucks overcame a rough start to the season and went undefeated in group play before defeating the Magic and Hawks in the knockout stage to secure the title, despite missing Khris Middleton. The Thunder struggled offensively, scoring only 31 points in the second half, while Bucks players celebrated their $514,970 reward for the victory.

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Today’s trivia requires you to dig into multiple pockets of your brain, testing your knowledge of recent events as well as those that happened decades ago.

See how many of the below questions you can get correct. Answers are provided at the end of the newsletter.

Question #1- University of Kansas basketball coach Bill Self coached at what current Big 10 school from 2000-2003?

Question #2- The Cincinnati Bengals selected what Notre Dame tight end with the 21st pick in the 2013 NFL Draft?

Question #3- What Seattle Mariners outfielder was the only player in the MLB to record more than 215 hits during the 2009 MLB season?

Anyone know what has happened on December 18th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On December 18th…

1949- The Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams square off in the National League Football Championship. The teams went head-to-head in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and Philadelphia emerged victorious by a score of 14-0. Eagles running back Steve Van Buren was the star of the game, rushing for 196 yards on 31 carries.

1988- The Seattle Seahawks win their first division title in franchise history. Seattle won the AFC West division with a 9-7 record, clinching the division with a 43-37 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16. Seattle went into the postseason as the #3 seed in the AFC, but lost in the divisional round to the Cincinnati Bengals.

2000- Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is born in San Bernardino, California. Daniels stormed onto the football scene during his at Cajon High School, which landed him a spot on Arizona State’s football roster to begin his college career. He would later transfer to LSU, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and went on to be drafted No.2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Commanders.

1. University of Illinois

2. Tyler Eifert

3. Ichiro Suzuki