Hornets vs. Magic NBA Play-in Tournament Picks April 17th

Hornets vs. Magic NBA Play-in Tournament Picks April 17th

The Eastern Conference play-in tournament will conclude on Friday night with the Charlotte Hornets battling the Orlando Magic for the eighth and final seed. Charlotte kept its season alive with a thrilling win over Miami earlier this week, while Orlando missed out on the No. 7 seed by losing at Philadelphia. The Magic have home-court advantage this time around as they try to secure a ticket to face Detroit in round one of the playoffs.

With tipoff set for 7:30 pm ET on Prime Video, it’s time to break down the odds and discuss the best bets to make 

Hornets vs Magic NBA Play-in Predictions 

Pick #1: Orlando Magic +3.5 over Charlotte Hornets (-110) 

Pick #2: Under 218.5 (-115) 

Pick #3: LaMelo Ball under 23.5 points (-121) 

PICK #1: Magic +3.5 over Hornets (-110)

Tales of Orlando’s demise are somewhat exaggerated. It is true that the Magic went 7-9 in their last 16 regular-season games and then lost again on Wednesday. Still, they are playing a lot better and looking far more inspired than they did throughout a six-game losing streak in March. Paolo Banchero and company won five of their last six regular-season contests, which included victories over the Pistons and Timberwolves. They put forth a respectable effort in Philadelphia earlier this week, too. It was a one-point game with eight minutes remaining before the 76ers pulled away just a bit down the stretch.

After going on the road for the play-in opener, the Magic are back at home – where they are 25-15 this season (compared to 19-21 as visitors). Franz Wagner is good to go despite being plagued by physical problems earlier in 2025-26; he has scored at least 20 points in two of the last three games. Orlando is 3-1 against the spread in its last four at home and 5-3 ATS in the last eight meetings between these two teams. Charlotte is 0-4 ATS in its last four overall. 

PICK #2: Under 218.5 (-110)

The under correlates nicely with the Magic covering, because they may not be able to keep up with the Hornets in a high-octane shootout. After all, the concern for Orlando right now is offense. In the regular-season finale at Boston, the visitors shot just 40 percent from the floor and 28 percent from three-point range. They shot 41 percent from the field and 27 percent from downtown on Wednesday. Banchero is 14-for-44 overall and 0-for-10 from deep over the past two games. It’s also worth noting that neither team plays particularly fast. Orlando was 12th in the NBA in pace of play at 104.3 possessions per game during the regular season. Charlotte was No. 24 in that department at 101.0 possessions. The under is 3-1 in the Hornets’ last four games, 3-0 in the Magic’s last three and 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head matchups.  

PICK #3: LaMelo Ball Under 23.5 points (-121) 

This has been a tough matchup for LaMelo Ball, which is no surprise given that he forks up three-pointers at an absolutely alarming rate and Orlando is great at defending the perimeter. Ball attempted a ridiculous 740 three-pointers during the regular season and went 2-for-16 from the land of plenty against Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Magic allowed the third-fewest three-pointers in the NBA (12.1 per game) in the regular season and ranked No. 11 in three-point percentage defense (35.3). Ball struggled against Orlando in the four previous encounters, averaging just 18.8 ppg on 34.3 percent shooting from three-point range.