NBA Play-In Game: Top Player Prop Bets for the Hornets vs. the Magic on Friday, April 17

(AsiaGameHub) –   The Charlotte Hornets will face off against the Orlando Magic in the first of two scheduled NBA Play-In games this Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, with broadcast coverage available on Amazon Prime Video.

The winning team will claim the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and will go up against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the opening round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

DraftKings lists the Hornets as 3.5-point road favorites, with an over/under total set at 218.5. 83% of spread betting handle and 73% of all wager tickets have been placed on Charlotte.

After Orlando secured a win over Charlotte earlier this season, the Hornets have picked up three straight wins in their most recent head-to-head matchups, all by 20-plus point margins. The Hornets boast far more offensive firepower, and the Magic are expected to struggle to keep pace with their output.

Bonus bet picks: Hornets -3.5, UNDER 218.5 (odds current as of publication time at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Top Player Prop Bets for the Hornets vs. Magic Matchup

Now, let’s dive into our top player prop picks for the Hornets vs. Magic game, with all lines sourced from DraftKings Pick6.

Charlotte’s Brandon Miller OVER 19.5 Points Scored

If you caught Charlotte’s 127-126 overtime win over Miami on Tuesday, you saw Brandon Miller act as a consistent stabilizing force for the Hornets.

Star guard LaMelo Ball and standout rookie Kon Knueppel combined to go just 2-of-22 from three-point range in that contest. Miller shot 50% from long distance, knocking down five of his 10 attempts, and ended the game with 23 total points.

Miller also played a key role in Charlotte’s last two wins over Orlando, putting up 20 and 25 points in those two games respectively.

Charlotte’s Moussa Diabate OVER 1.5 Assists Recorded

Moussa Diabate has exceeded this mark in four of his last five games. The 6-foot-10 forward holds a season average of 1.9 assists per game. Hitting this over only requires a couple of made three-pointers off kick-out passes from Diabate when he is positioned in the paint.

Orlando’s Franz Wagner UNDER 16.5 Points Scored

Franz Wagner missed a large stretch of this season due to a high-ankle sprain. Still dealing with lingering effects of that injury, Wagner then sustained a knee injury in yesterday’s loss to the 76ers following a collision with teammate Wendell Carter Jr.

Even though he logged 29 minutes of play against Philadelphia, Wagner finished the game with only 12 points. We expect he will not be at 100% health on Friday, so we are picking the UNDER for this point total.

Charlotte’s Ryan Kalkbrenner OVER 3.5 Rebounds Recorded

Charlotte center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been a very profitable pick for bettors taking the OVER on this prop recently. He has hit this over by recording 4 or more rebounds in six of his last seven contests.

The Hornets rank third in the NBA with an average of 55.9 rebounds per game, and Kalkbrenner is a major contributor to that ranking. He is expected to surpass this modest total once again on Friday night.