The former Minnesota Wild forward Pat Maroon announced on Saturday before the Chicago Blackhawks' game against the St. Louis Blues that he will be retiring after this season.
Maroon, 36, announced on Saturday he would retire after this season and after the game, the Blues named him the first star of the game. Maroon got to hear the roar of the St. Louis crowd for one final time. He won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019.
The 6-foot-3 forward played one season in Minnesota during 2023-24. He recorded four goals, 16 points, and 71 hits in 49 games for the Wild and was eventually traded to the Boston Bruins at the 2024 NHL trade deadline.
He signed a one-year contract with the Blackhawks after the 2023-24 season and has five goals, 18 points, and 96 hits in 61 games.
MIAMI – There was no turning back. Warriors star Jimmy Butler stated Monday after practice at Barry University, one day before his first game back in Miami against his former team, the Heat, that even if he and team president Pat Riley sat down immediately after last season and he was offered a contract extension, he still would have wanted to eventually move on.
Butler, who turned 35 years old in September, knew which direction he wanted to go in his career. He also had an indication of where the Heat were headed after their first-round NBA playoff exit without him.
When, and if, Butler sees Riley on Tuesday at the Kaseya Center, anger won’t be his first emotion. No animosity. No frustration.
Nothing, according to Butler.
“I don’t got no thoughts,” Butler said. “I won’t say nothing. I got nothing to say to nobody. No hard feelings. I’m in a better place now for me. Continued success to those guys over there.”
None of this is new to Butler. Tuesday won’t be the first time he plays a former team. It’ll be the fourth. This just feels heightened because of the success Butler had in Miami, leading the Heat to three Eastern Conference finals and two NBA Finals, as well as how his departure once again was surrounded by drama.
He has maintained his first game back at his old arena will be nothing more than another game on the schedule, continuing to show his love for Heat fans.
Staying stuck in the past is a decision Butler refuses to let himself sink into and be a part of. Let the outside speculate. The 14-year NBA veteran knows the legacy he made in Miami and that it can never be taken away.
“This is basketball,” Butler said. “It’s very simple. I don’t have all the emotions everyone thinks I’m going to have. It is what it is. I realize that I had some great years here. I built some incredible bonds with some individuals within the organization, in this city – hell, in the state of Florida. But I’m going there to hoop. I’m going there to play basketball.
“Ain’t nothing nobody say, ain’t nothing nobody do is finna get me out of character. Ain’t nobody got me out of character when I was going through what I was going through this entire season with the suspensions. It’s just another day for me.”
There might be boos from Heat fans. There might be derogatory signs. None of it will bother Butler, or so he says.
“I wonder if they look at the Heat the same way,” Butler said. “Ain’t like I was the one that was doing everything. It’s gotta be 50/50. Maybe 51/49 – 49 towards them and 51 towards me. There’s no way that I was the cause of all of this.”
Butler spent the first six years of his career with the Chicago Bulls, going from being the last pick in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft to becoming a star. The end wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t pretty. He then spent one full season playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but a chaotic ending saw him sent to the Philadelphia 76ers less than a month into the next season.
The 76ers fell one wild Kawhi Leonard shot short of reaching the conference finals that season, but how Butler left again wasn’t without controversy. His Heat exit this season has been retold time and time again.
“I’m always painted as the bad guy,” Butler said. “Everywhere I’ve been I’ve always been the problem. We’ll take it. I don’t got nothing to say. I’m not mad at being a bad guy. It’s all the way that everything gets portrayed. Some people talk to the media, some people don’t. I’ve never been one to tell my side of the story to almost anybody.
“Let everybody think that this is what happened, and we’ll ride with it. Then in like a year’s time it’s going to be somebody else’s fault besides myself.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr bore witness to perhaps the worst version of a homecoming when Kevin Durant was a member of Golden State and went back to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder for the first time.
“Yeah, that was maybe the most emotional return game I’ve ever been a part of,” Kerr said. “It kind of got ugly, really. It was important for our guys to go to bat for Kevin and they all did. It was nice to get that behind us when it happened.
“There’s just going to be games like this in the NBA season because of the emotion involved in sports. You handle them when they come and you just support your teammate and then you move forward.”
“It’ll be a charged atmosphere,” Kerr said. “I’m sure it’ll be emotional on many levels. I know Jimmy’s just going to lock in and play, and he’s very capable of that. But there’s no getting around the fact of what he meant to this team, this organization, this city. That will come out tomorrow.
“It’s part of sports. It’s kind of what makes sports, too, is the emotional connection that everyone has with players and teams. So you get these nights that can be tricky. I know Jimmy will handle it well. I know our guys will handle it well.”
Since the Butler trade, the Warriors and Heat have gone in opposite directions. Golden State is 16-4 since Butler made his team debut, and one of those losses was with him in street clothes. Miami, meanwhile, is 5-16 since the trade, beating the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday to snap a 10-game losing streak.
There has been debate surrounding a possible Butler tribute video being played during Tuesday’s game. The expectation is any pettiness will be put to the side, and the Heat will honor one of the franchise’s all-time greats.
Butler will watch if the jumbotron displays his many past highlights in a Heat jersey. And he’ll remain unmoved if the Heat opt out of doing so.
“If they don’t, it makes no difference,” Butler says. “It really don’t.”
Embarrassing disqualification of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc raises difficult questions for Scuderia
Before the Formula One season began Lewis Hamilton had taken his motorhome to Ferrari’s Maranello factory, living alongside his new colleagues in order to bond with them and better learn their methodologies in an effort to make his transition into the Scuderia as seamless as possible. After he and his teammate, Charles Leclerc, were disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, he may have to consider taking up residence again, as a rocked Ferrari deal with a disheartening opening to the season.
Ferrari have never endured a double disqualification before in the 75 years they have participated in F1, an embarrassment for which they held up their hands. They conceded that the skid block on the floor of Hamilton’s car had been worn 0.5mm below the limit, while Leclerc’s ride was 1kg below the minimum weight requirement. The F1 governing body, the FIA, said Ferrari acknowledged a “genuine error” and the team said it was a “mistake” they would endeavour not to repeat.
SNY contributor Joe DeMayo answers fan questions in this edition of the Mets Minor League Mailbag...
From Patrick H on X: Will Ryan Clifford be ready to be the first baseman on the big league club if Pete Alonso opts out after this season? I don’t see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as a viable option given the other big contracts the Mets have
Quickly on the Vlad front: we will see what comes of that situation next winter, but as SNY’s Andy Martino reported at the beginning of March, there are too many variables at play to know whether that could be a pursuit the Mets make.
If Alonso has the type of season that causes him to opt out, I don’t think we should rule out the Mets and Alonso continuing this marriage beyond 2025. The Mets like Alonso and Alonso likes being a Met. It will be important for Alonso to have a bounce back season, both for the 2025 Mets success as well as his next contract.
While I do have a 2026 major league ETA on Clifford, my No. 4 ranked prospect in the system who showed out at the spring breakout game with a 449 foot home run off of a lefty, I am unsure if that necessarily means Opening Day 2026.
Clifford will head back to Double-A Binghamton to start the 2025 season. He had success there last year as a 20/21-year-old, posting an .815 OPS with 18 home runs in 99 games.
Clifford possesses plus power and overall plate discipline. He still needs some approach refinement -- he can stand to be more aggressive early in counts as he will at times let good pitches to hit go by to work the count. He also had a 29 percent strikeout rate at the Double-A level, and you’d like to see that number more in the low-20s.
If Clifford can take that next step in his development as a hitter, I can see him getting to Triple-A Syracuse some time in 2025, which ultimately puts him in the picture for 2026.
The Mets are going to need to infuse their big league roster with homegrown youth within the next year or two due to the way their roster is set up from a payroll perspective. Clifford could certainly be a part of that equation; I just think he would have to make it to Triple-A relatively early this season and have a run of success at that level for the Mets to consider him an Opening Day 2026 option.
What ultimately could be the most interesting thing to follow is how Clifford’s presence could impact their potential pursuit of a 10-plus year deal with Guerrero or a potential lengthier re-commitment with Alonso.
Feb 12, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets shortstop Jett Williams (90) plays his position during a Spring Training workout at Clover Park. / Sam Navarro - Imagn Images
From James on X: Does Jett Williams end up at second base or in center field long-term?
One of the strong suits of Williams is that he has the versatility to play all three up-the-middle positions. Mets President of baseball operations David Stearns confirmed in an in-game interview with SNY during Sunday’s game against the Marlins that Williams will start the season with Double-A Binghamton and continue to play shortstop, second base, and center field.
Right now, Williams -- my No. 2 prospect in the system -- is behind quite a few players on the depth chart simply due to proximity to the big leagues, and the Mets need to figure out what they have in some other pieces first.
That can cause a trickle effect, as right now they have Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña, and Ronny Mauricio as young factors behind the incumbent Jeff McNeil at second base. Center field will be primarily manned by Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor to start the 2025 season, but a healthy Drew Gilbert could impact that situation as well this summer.
While I think Williams may be more natural in the dirt at either shortstop or second base, I liked what I saw out of him in center field when he got the opportunities (he has played just 33 career professional games in center field).
He is a plus athlete with the range to cover gap to gap, but he simply needs more reps. At times his reads are just a tick late and he’s been making up for it with his speed, but some plays have ended up more difficult than they needed to be. That is something that can be improved with more repetition of tracking the ball off the bat.
Williams has a chance to be a dynamic player who hits at or near the top of a batting order. He is the type of player that you eventually make a spot for, and I think his general versatility could be a weapon.
I am intrigued to see more of him in center field to determine how viable that will be at the next level, as that picture has a much cloudier future than second base does as of this writing. Though, as we say on The Mets Pod, these things always have a way of figuring themselves out.
The St. Louis Blues are listed at value to make Playoffs despite four-point lead created by recent six-game winning streak
The St. Louis Blues are red hot right now with six straight wins that has lifted their record to an impressive 37-28-7 which gives them a four point lead over the next closest team in the Calgary Flames for the second wild card spot in the West. We took a look a couple weeks ago at the chances of Utah making a run at the final playoff spot as they had an easier schedule than most down this final stretch of the season.
However, it was the St. Louis Blues that cashed in on this narrative and has taken full advantage of an easier schedule to propel themselves firmly into the driver seat in a razor thin playoff race. Utah and the Canucks are just behind and the Flames and are still within reach of the Blues. The Minnesota Wild are four points ahead of the Blues with ten games left and we can look to pencil them in for a playoff berth.
Four teams fighting for one spot should make for a thrilling couple of weeks to end off this season but if you'd like to profit from this race, we already know who will prevail. The Blues have ten games left in their season and their remaining schedule should give them enough of an edge to keep their lead over the other contending teams and secure a playoff berth.
Despite their lead, St. Louis is listed with +108 odds to make the playoffs and with their momentum continuing to grow they should be able to get things done. Their next five games are against the likes of the Habs, Predators, Red Wings and Penguins, which all present winnable opportunities with their only tough challenge being the Avalanche. If they can win at least three of these five games that should give them a great enough lead that even if you don't believe they will make it, you can put a subtle bet on them now and cash out following the five-game stretch.
Things get tougher from there as they will have to play the Avalanche once again followed by tilts with the first-place Jets and the defending Western Conference Champion Oilers. This would be the point where if the Blues haven't locked things down yet, things may get hairy but don't be discouraged as they play their final two games against the Kraken and Utah, which are both winnable games.
The Flames have 13 games left with opportunities to overtake the Blues but they still have many challenging matchups like Stars, Kings, Oilers, Avalanche and a pair of games versus the Golden Knights. Vancouver will have the same challenges except they will have to take on the Jets instead of the Oilers. Utah Hockey Club could make a miraculous run and make they playoffs but they would also need to knock off the Jets, Stars and Kings plus will see serious contenders from the East in the Panthers and Bolts.
If everything breaks our way, we can feel confident about a return on investment by next Friday in a solid cash out offer for the Blues but if things go wrong we still will have very solid chances to get it done in the final games and makes this bet an absolute must if you want an easy return.
The fit might not have been quite as obvious at first, but after six weeks, it appears Jimmy Butler and the Warriors are a near-perfect match.
Before the veteran forward was dealt to Golden State in a blockbuster trade on Feb. 5, both Butler and the Warriors reportedly had some level of trepidation about a potential marriage in the weeks leading up to the deal, which initially made it seem like a trade would not materialize before the NBA’s Feb. 6 deadline.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Butler, whose preferred trade deadline destination reportedly was the Phoenix Suns, explained his perceived hesitation about a trade to Golden State before the deal went through.
“I wasn’t skeptical of coming here,” Butler told Slater. “I just didn’t talk to anybody … I knew I was going to get this contract no matter what. The people keep talking about it being about the money. How can it be about the money when any team that traded for me, what were they going to do? I just want to win. Where can I go to win?”
Some key Warriors, including Steph Curry and Steve Kerr, reportedly had some initial reservations about Butler’s potential fit in the locker room before the trade, with Draymond Green even issuing Butler a warning about his behavior before forcing his way out of Miami.
“With any deal, you question it,” Curry told Slater, admitting to his initial reluctance about the trade. “Even when [Kevin Durant] came, it was like, you don’t know what it’s going to look like. We came into it positive, but you still had to see it. That uncomfortability is good because it challenges everyone to talk through it, come with the right preparation.”
“I can only speak for this environment because I only know this environment and I helped create this environment,” Curry said. “If [quirky habits] bother you, if that’s something that is distracting, then you’re worried about the wrong stuff. Professionals show up and play. And that’s all we ask of everybody who is in here. We’ve had our challenges throughout the years. We’ve seen certain, you know, episodes or what not. But if you show up to play, I have zero problems.”
It’s safe to say the trade has worked out very well for both Butler and the Warriors, who are 16-4 overall since the star forward’s arrival on Feb. 6 and have rocketed up the Western Conference standings.
Not only have the Warriors been winning, but Butler now has a superstar counterpart in Curry that he thinks very highly of.
“He real real,” Butler said of Curry. “Good dude. Talks. He’s always trying to help everybody be great. Laughs. Wants to have a good time. Loves the game. Loves to compete. Loves to win. But he is the guy. He is the man. He is everything everybody says of him. More than anything, he’s just nice. I’m not talking about on the court. He’s just genuinely a good human being. To everybody. It’s very, very, very refreshing. Because he doesn’t have to be that way.”
The Warriors look to continue their winning ways against the Miami Heat on Tuesday at Kaseya Center, Butler’s first game against his former team since his and Golden State’s season-altering trade.
The Yankees are making a late offseason addition, signing left-handed reliever Ryan Yarbrough to a big league deal, per multiple reports.
The deal is for one year and $2 million, with an additional $500,000 in possible incentives, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN.
Yarbrough had been in spring training with the Blue Jays, but exercised an opt out he had a right to use if he wasn't on the Opening Day 26-man roster, reports Joel Sherman of The New York Post, who adds that Yarbrough will be on the Yankees' Opening Day roster.
The 33-year-old Yarbrough was solid last season for the Dodgers and Blue Jays, posting a 3.19 ERA (4.64 FIP) and 1.03 WHIP in 98.2 innings over 44 appearances.
His strikeout rate was a career-low 5.9 per nine innings, but he offset that with a career-best 6.4 hits allowed per nine.
Yarbrough, who is often deployed in multi-inning stints, also has experience as a starter/opener, but was utilized only in relief last season.
He will join a New York bullpen that includes closer Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, Mark Leiter Jr., and Tim Hill.
Ben McCollum, who led Drake's dominating run through the Missouri Valley Conference and a win in the NCAA Tournament in his only season with the Bulldogs, was named head coach at Iowa on Monday. Athletic director Beth Goetz announced McCollum's hiring 10 days after she fired Fran McCaffery and two days after McCollum wrapped up a 31-4 season with a loss to Texas Tech in the second round of the West Regional.
Following St. John's loss to Arkansas in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, Dan Patrick takes a closer look at the game and explains why Rick Pitino is still a "spectacular" college basketball coach.
The Yankees' offseason was a roller coaster, to say the least.
Juan Soto signed with the Mets, eliminating an MVP-caliber bat from New York's lineup, and injuries to ace Gerrit Cole among other notable bats and arms in the spring have put a damper on expectations for this season.
After going to the World Series last season for the first time since 2009, the Yanks are looking to get back and finish what they couldn't a year ago. That will be more difficult with the roster the way it is.
Although the Bombers retooled by signing Max Fried, Cody Bellinger,and Paul Goldschmidt with the money they were planning to use to re-sign Soto, there are more questions than answers surrounding this year's team.
It'll be up to manager Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman to answer them, but while we wait for the year to play out here are five big storylines to watch as the 2025 season begins...
Can Max Fried help Yanks survive without Cole?
A little de ja vu, to start things off.
A year ago, I wondered if the Yankees could survive without Cole. The AL Cy Young winner exited camp last spring with elbow soreness and didn't return until a few months in.
This time, the ace underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2025 season, so the stakes are arguably more dire -- especially considering the team's other injuries to Luis Gil (lat) and Clarke Schmidt (shoulder) that will leave just Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman as the holdovers from a year ago in the rotation.
Last season, Nestor Cortes, Stroman, Rodon, and Gil stepped up to help the Yanks get out to the best record in baseball through April, and it gave the team enough leeway until Cole's eventual return.
The difference this year is the addition of Fried. He was signed to be the team's co-ace and now he'll be the team's No. 1 starter. The southpaw has been as advertised this spring and will be looked upon to anchor a rotation that will include veteran Carlos Carrasco and prospect Will Warren to start the season.
Can Fried stay healthy and help keep the team afloat until reinforcements arrive?
How will the lineup perform without Juan Soto?
Judge had another MVP season in 2024 and was the best hitter in baseball. However, it can't be overstated how much punch the Yankees are missing this year without Soto.
Although Soto benefited from batting in front of Judge, the Yankees captain had more ducks on the pond when he was at the plate and didn't have to be burdened with elevating the offense alone. With Soto gone, Judge will be looked upon to do more. Can he come close to his MVP season? It'll go a long way to helping a short-handed rotation.
Also, what production will we see from newcomers Bellinger and Goldschmidt? Their MVP days are likely behind them but the Yanks need production from their two sluggers -- especially Goldschmidt.
First base has been a black hole of production the last two seasons with Anthony Rizzo's diminishing numbers -- and inability to stay healthy -- so if the former NL MVP can give New York a consistent bat from that position, it'll benefit the rest of the lineup.
The Yankees also need youngsters Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells to take the next step in their development. Meanwhile, New York needs production from another young bat...
New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez (24) scores a run during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Can Jasson Dominguez deliver?
There may not be another player on the roster who can impact the Yankees more than Dominguez.
That may seem like hyperbole, but consider the expectations surrounding the young outfielder. Dominguez burst onto the scene in 2023, showing off his power and speed. But Tommy John surgery -- and the addition of Soto -- put a halt to the switch-hitter's ascent to the big leagues.
Now that he's healthy and there's a spot open in the outfield, 2025 is Dominguez's time to sink or swim. And for the Yankees' sake, they need him to swim.
Adding a switch-hitting power bat lengthens the lineup and, again, takes some of the pressure off of Judge and the others.
This season is also an indicator of the Yankees' future. At just 22 years old, New York sees Dominguez as their future outfielder for years to come and if he doesn't pan out, the questions will only get bigger and louder.
How will Brian Cashman improve the roster?
Signings and trades are a part of each team's season, but with the expectations surrounding the 2025 Yankees and the mounting injuries, Cashman will need to be creative to improve this roster.
It's understandable that the longtime Yankees GM will wait and see how the rotation will play without Cole before making a move, but he can't be too patient -- especially with the Orioles and the upstart Red Sox in their division.
And that's not even bringing up the Yanks not having an everyday third baseman.
Right now, New York is going to go with a committee at the hot corner, but Cashman refused to get a legit bat in that position and it could hurt them in the long run. As the season moves along, a trade opportunity could present itself (Nolan Arenado) but again, Cashman can't wait too long to make improvements -- especially if the American League East is more competitive than a season ago.
Mar 9, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Oswald Peraza (91) and New York Yankees first baseman Oswaldo Cabrera (95) greet each other during warm-ups before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Solving the third base puzzle
We alluded to it above, but third base has been a question the Yankees have been trying to answer since the offseason began.
Camp started with four potential options, but now it's really down to two. Oswaldo Cabrera is likely the Opening Day third baseman as New York employs a revolving door of infielders.
DJ LeMahieu was going to be in that rotation, but the injury he suffered this spring will likely force him to the IL to start the season. That leaves Pablo Reyes or former top prospect Oswald Peraza as Cabrera's potential backup.
Peraza hasn't shown much in his brief stints in the majors, but without any minor league options remaining this is likely the infielder's last shot to show what he has.
But this is all a short-term solution. What's the answer for the long-term this season?
It's hard to imagine the Yankees sticking with LeMahieu/Cabrera/Peraza the whole year. Will Cashman make a deal? Will a midseason call-up, like youngster Jorbit Vivas, do the trick?
We'll have to take the Yankees' third base situation a week at a time, but it'll be among the most scrutinized aspects of this team if production at the plate/field is not there.
It’s Monday, March 24, and the Los Angeles Lakers (43-27) and Orlando Magic (33-38) are all set to square off from Kia Center in Orlando.
The Lakers are currently 15-18 on the road with a point differential of 1, while the Magic have a 2-8 record in their last ten games at home. Orlando is 1-0 against the Lakers this season with a 119-118 victory back in Los Angeles on November 21.
Los Angeles has lost two straight games after winning three before that. Orlando is 4-3 over the last seven games and alternated wins and losses. The Magic have not had a winning streak following the All-Star break.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Lakers vs. Magic live today
Date: Monday, March 24, 2025
Time: 7:00PM EST
Site: Kia Center
City: Orlando, FL
Network/Streaming: NBA TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Lakers vs. Magic
The latest odds as of Monday:
Odds: Lakers (-174), Magic (+145)
Spread: Lakers -4
Over/Under: 215 points
That gives the Lakers an implied team point total of 108.77, and the Magic 106.68.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Monday’s Lakers vs. Magic game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Magic to cover against the Lakers:
"Orlando hasn't had back-to-back wins since the All-Star break, but this isn't the worst spot. Orlando won in the only meeting of the season and the Lakers are coming off back-to-back blowout losses to Milwaukee (118-89) and Chicago (146-115). The 29-point loss to the Bulls was LeBron James' first game back since March 8 (17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 turnovers). Los Angeles is starting a four-game road trip in Orlando and I don't think this will be a smooth game for the Lake Show considering the Magic's defensive mindset. I would take the Magic with the points."
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Lakers & Magic game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Los Angeles Lakers at .
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of .
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Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Lakers vs. Magic on Monday
The Lakers have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against Eastern Conference Southeast Division teams
The Under is 37-31 in the Magic's home games and the Lakers' road games combined this season
The Lakers have covered in 6 of their 9 matchups against Eastern Conference Southeast Division teams this season
Betting the Lakers on the Money Line in all games this season would have shown a 112% return on investment
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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