The Golden State Warriors are failing to meet expectations so far this season.
The pregame narrative: The Warriors are currently on the outside looking in on the Western Conference playoffs. They beat the Phoenix Suns last time out and can start to build a win streak against the Orlando Magic.
Check out my Magic vs. Warriors SGP predictions for Dec. 22, featuring Jimmy Butler and Anthony Black.
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Magic vs. Warriors predictions
Parlay: Warriors ML | Butler over 20.5 points | Black over 16.5 points (+360)
Warriors moneyline (-215): Golden State is a much better team playing at home.
The problem is, the team has been a victim of a road-heavy schedule.
In December, the Warriors have played just three home games. Overall, they are 8-4 at Chase Center this season, which looks better than their actual record of 14-15.
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Orlando is below .500 on the road (6-7) and is currently dealing with a loaded injury report.
Franz Wagner remains sidelined, while Jalen Suggs is doubtful to play while he recovers from a hip injury.
Missing two starters is going to be hard to overcome against the Warriors in Golden State.
NBA SGP legs
Butler over 20.5 points (-118): This pick relies heavily on Butler’s volume, but he’s decided to be more aggressive recently, which is a good sign.
He’s taken 17 or more shots in back-to-back games while easily clearing this total twice and averaging 28.0 points.
Butler has been incredibly efficient this year. He shoots 51.5% from the field and over 40% from 3.
The issue is that he averages just over 12 shots a night. The Warriors need him to be more selfish if they want to make a playoff push.
He’s only taken more than 17 shots in one other game this season, so I have to assume the recent uptick is because of a focused effort to get Butler more involved.
For that reason, I see another high-scoring effort from the Warriors veteran on Monday.
-> Back Butler and Black on Monday night
Black over 16.5 points (-125): The young point guard should continue to see increased opportunity with Suggs doubtful to return for this contest.
Black starts in place of Suggs and averages 34.2 minutes per game as a starter. When playing 30+ minutes, he averages 16.1 points.
On top of that, the second-year pro is red hot right now, playing arguably the best basketball of his young career.
Black has scored 20 or more points in back-to-back games and in four of his last 10.
Finally, the Warriors struggle to guard his position. They allow the seventh most points per game to opposing point guards (26.94).
Magic vs. Warriors predictions made at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 22, 2025.
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Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.