Orlando Magic at Washington Wizards, NBA forecast
The short version
- No betting line is up yet, so this is our pre-line forecast: the Magic at 54%, from our Elo ratings and what past lines said about each team. It switches to the line once one posts.
- Behind that number: the Magic rate higher (1476 to 1326 Elo), lineup changes favor the Wizards and the Wizards have home court.
What's at stake
Each team's chance to make the playoffs if it wins this game and if it loses, from 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season.
Magic
Now 44%
46%
with a win
41%
with a loss
This game is worth 5 points of playoff chance to them.
Wizards
Now <1%
<1%
with a win
<1%
with a loss
Their playoff odds barely move on this one.
The pick
No line is posted yet, so this is the pre-line forecast: Elo blended with ratings learned from past lines. It switches to the line once one is posted.
Magic 54%
Forecast Elo ratings alone
How often that comes true: NBA favorites the forecast gave 50–55% have won 49.4% of 342 graded games.
- Market
- No line yet
- Pre-line forecast
- ORL 54%
- Elo + market-implied
- Elo ratings
- ORL -0.5
- ORL 52%
- Fair odds
- ORL -117
- WSH +117 · the forecast as odds, no margin
- Projected score
- ORL 113.2 – 112.0 WSH
- Margin from the forecast, total from team scoring ratings
How the number is built
Elo inputs in rating points (higher favors that team; 25–28 Elo is about a point of spread in football and basketball), then how the pieces combine.
| Factor | ORL | WSH | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team rating | 1476 | 1326 | Elo entering the game; 1500 is league average |
| Home field | — | +36 | Worth 36 Elo in the NBA |
| Lineups | −28 | +70 | ORL: Missing Paolo Banchero −33, Jalen Suggs −4, Izaiyah Nelson −1 · otherwise stronger than recent lineups · WSH: Missing Tristan Vukcevic −1 · otherwise stronger than recent lineups (from the injury report) |
| Elo ratings | ORL +16 Elo | ORL 52.3% | |
| Market-implied ratings | ORL 54.2% | Team strength as past closing lines priced it, same game context | |
| Pre-line forecast | ORL 54.0% | 10% Elo, 90% market-implied (log-odds blend) | |
Tale of the tape
This season coming into the game, regular season, each number with its league rank (the longer the bar, the higher). Home and road: the host's record at home against the visitor's on the road. Opponent Elo: how strong the teams each has played are, 1st the toughest. Adjusted: the scoring model’s ratings a game, which account for who they played. Offense and defense are points per 100 possessions, which sets aside how fast a team plays.
| ORL | Stat | |
|---|---|---|
| 26th of 30107.0 | Points scored | 108.125th of 30 |
| 18th of 30114.6 | Points allowed | 113.416th of 30 |
| 24th of 30−7.6 | Margin | −5.321st of 30 |
| 25th of 30105.8 | Offense rating | 106.723rd of 30 |
| 22nd of 30113.3 | Defense rating | 111.916th of 30 |
| 25th of 30100.2 | Pace | 101.019th of 30 |
| 12th of 303–3 | Road vs home | 2–214th of 30 |
| 7th of 301523 | Opponent Elo | 150616th of 30 |
| 19th of 301476 | Elo rating | 132629th of 30 |
| 26th of 30−2.3 | Offense, adjusted | −2.024th of 30 |
| 14th of 30+0.4 | Defense, adjusted | −3.124th of 30 |
Who's playing
Each team's projected rotation from its current roster and the latest injury report. Minutes follow each player's usual role, with absent players' minutes handed to the rest. The Elo badge compares tonight's lineup with the team's recent ones.
Magic
−28 Elo| Player | Min | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franz Wagner | 38 | 23.5 | Available |
| Desmond Bane | 37 | 20.4 | Available |
| Wendell Carter Jr. | 35 | 17.2 | Available |
| Anthony Black | 33 | 16.1 | Available |
| Jamal Cain | 24 | 13.5 | Available |
| Jase Richardson | 23 | 14.8 | Available |
| Alex Morales | 15 | 16.7 | Available |
| Nikola Vucevic | 12 | 20.5 | Available |
| Goga Bitadze | 10 | 19.7 | Available |
| Jevon Carter | 9 | 14.2 | Available |
| Colin Castleton | 4 | 15.4 | Available |
| Paolo Banchero | — | 22.6 | Out−33 |
Wizards
+70 Elo| Player | Min | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trae Young | 32 | 23.3 | Available |
| Kyshawn George | 32 | 13.3 | Available |
| Anthony Davis | 31 | 28.0 | Available |
| AJ Dybantsa | 28 | 17.1 | Available |
| Alex Sarr | 24 | 15.4 | Available |
| Bilal Coulibaly | 23 | 10.8 | Available |
| Tre Johnson | 22 | 11.8 | Available |
| Bub Carrington | 18 | 9.3 | Available |
| Deandre Ayton | 14 | 18.5 | Available |
| Will Riley | 7 | 12.2 | Available |
| Jamir Watkins | — | 14.4 | Out |
| Justin Champagnie | — | 16.8 | Out |
Rating history
Each team's Elo over the last two seasons. Hover or drag to compare on any date.
Injury report
Current ESPN report. Elo values show what the model subtracts.
Magic
6 listedTristan da Silva F
OutDa Silva (calf) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Kings, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Jalen Suggs G
OutSuggs (knee) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Kings.
Jonathan Isaac F
OutIsaac (knee) is out for Tuesday's game against Sacramento.
Paolo Banchero F
OutBanchero is expected to be sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks due to a right high-ankle sprain, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Noah Penda F
OutPenda was diagnosed with a partially torn right hamstring Saturday, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Izaiyah Nelson F
OutTeam president Jeff Weltman said Monday that Nelson (ankle) remains about a month away from returning to the court after offseason surgery, per Philip Rossman-Reich of OrlandoMagicDaily.com.
Wizards
4 listedTristan Vukcevic F
OutVukcevic (hip) has been ruled out for Monday's game against Detroit.
Reece Beekman G
OutThe Wizards announced Monday that Beekman sustained a right acromioclavicular joint injury and will be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.
Justin Champagnie F
OutChampagnie (foot) is expected to miss several months, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Jamir Watkins G
OutThe Wizards announced Thursday that Watkins has undergone surgery for a torn ACL.
Recent form
Last five results, and whether the forecast hit.
Against the line
How each team has done against the closing spread and total, coming into this game.
| This season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Against the spread | 2–5 | 5–4 |
| Last 10 | 2–5 | 5–4 |
| Favorite | 1–3 | 1–0 |
| Underdog | 1–2 | 4–4 |
| Overs–unders | 3–4 | 2–7 |
| Overs–unders, last 10 | 3–4 | 2–7 |
Against each game's closing line. Books set every line knowing these records: across 3,901 past games, the team with the better record against the spread so far that season covered 51.2%, short of the 52.4% a standard −110 bet needs, and over/under streaks held 48.0% of the time. They describe the past.
Head to head
ORL 11–2 WSH in their last 13 meetings; the forecast called 11 of 13.
- Nov 2
WSH 103 @ ORL 94Picked ORL 58%Miss - Mar 12
WSH 131 @ ORL 136Picked ORL 87%Hit - Mar 3
WSH 109 @ ORL 126Picked ORL 89%Hit - Jan 6
ORL 112 @ WSH 120Picked ORL 71%Miss - Nov 1
ORL 125 @ WSH 94Picked ORL 76%Hit - Apr 3
ORL 109 @ WSH 97Picked ORL 90%Hit - Mar 21
ORL 120 @ WSH 105Picked ORL 75%Hit - Feb 23
WSH 90 @ ORL 110Picked ORL 85%Hit



