Despite their rocky start to the season, the 3-5 Golden State Warriors are unsurprisingly the 9-point favorites against the rebuilding 1-7 Orlando Magic. Check out our Warriors-Magic picks.
The Warriors are fresh off a championship, and they retained their core while surrounding newest All-Star Andrew Wiggins. The bench was also revamped, with Jordan Poole leading the way while seemingly taking another step offensively. They're getting consistent minutes from James Wiseman and new defensive-minded acquisition JaMychal Green, whose 10 steals rank just one short of Wiggins, Poole, and Curry.
However, the Warriors are still just 3-5 straight up and 2-6 against the spread, a bottom-three cover rate in the NBA.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic are losing often, despite adding No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero. He's lived up to the lofty expectations so far, but injuries and a tough schedule have led to a 1-7 start, and the Magic are just 2-5-1 against the spread. Their only win so far was a home beatdown of the injured and defense-averse Charlotte Hornets.