The Los Angeles Clippers have won just two of their last 10 games and are 4-10 in the 2025-26 season heading into a road matchup with the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.
Orlando picked up a huge win at home against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, as Desmond Bane had a big game with Paolo Banchero (groin) out of the lineup.
Banchero is out for this matchup, while the Clippers have listed Kawhi Leonard as out with an ankle injury.
L.A.’s season is already on life support, as Bradley Beal (hip) is done for the season and the Clippers are fading fast in a loaded Western Conference. Can they pick up a statement win over the Magic?
It won’t be easy, as Orlando has rebounded nicely after a slow start, winning seven of its last 10 games.
Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Thursday night’s matchup.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
Clippers Injury Report
Magic Injury Report
Clippers Best NBA Prop Bet
Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I love fading Collins on Thursday:
Clippers forward John Collins enters Thursday night’s action averaging 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
He’s been thrust into the starting lineup with Kawhi Leonard out, averaging 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game (five games).
This season, Collins has cleared 20.5 points and rebounds just four times in 14 games, and he’s failed to do it in any of his starts. Now, he has to face an Orlando team that ranks in the top 10 in the league in rebounding percentage this season.
I think this line is super mispriced, as Collins is averaging just 16.7 points and rebounds per game for the season and 14.0 as a starter.
With Leonard still out of the lineup, I have a hard time trusting this Clippers team, especially since it’s just 4-10 against the spread this season.
Los Angeles has been better on the road (3-3 against the spread), but it still posted an average scoring margin of -8.7 points in those games.
Meanwhile, the Magic are winners of seven of their last 10 games and are 5-3 overall at home. They have moved up to 16th in the league in net rating while the Clippers are still in the bottom 10.
Los Angeles doesn’t have a ton of scoring with Beal and Leonard out of the lineup, and it just lost back-to-back games against Boston and a short-handed 76ers team.
Even with Banchero out, I think Orlando has a higher ceiling than those two squads at this point in the 2025-26 season. I’ll lay the points with the Magic on Thursday night.
Pick: Magic -5.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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