Clevland Cavs at Orlando Magic: NBA Picks & Betting Odds
Written April 3, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz
The Cavs are coming off a shocking loss last night to one of the NBA’s worst, the Orlando magic. LeBron and company are looking to keep pace with the Lakers for the #1 overall seed in the playoffs. That is crucial to the way this season will play out. Cleveland would be an extremely tough out come the post-season if they beat the Lakers out due to their stunning 36-1 home record. Now, before everybody starts to get all crazed and uptight over last nights clunker in Washington D.C, just realize that every team had games like this. Players get tired, a lack of intensity or hunger in a certain situation. But this was nothing more then a one-time mind lapse. The Cavs are built for a long run this year and it is certainly not all because of the man they call “King James”. Mo Williams, is an All-Star. He has tremendous court vision, a fantastic ball handler, posses an eye for the hoop as his scoring ability is superb and he has ice water flowing through his veins. Mo will always take a big shot if needed. The “Big Z” is having another stellar year. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds while always shooting a stellar percentage from the field as well as the line. The Cavs have nice depth as well with Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson all contributing at the guard position. Cleveland faces off against the Orlando Magic tonight. I usually wait until the end for this stat, but here are a few early trends to chew on. The underdog is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 games overall between these two teams. The road team is 6-2 ATS in the last eight games overall. Looking over tonight’s NBA odds, The Cavs are currently getting 3.5 points at Orlando and the total is set for 188 points.
The Magic currently hold the #2 seed in the East right behind the Cavs. Now, it is almost a certainty that they will not be able to catch Cleveland but the race between them and Celtics for second is very much alive. The big stud inside, Superman himself, Dwight Howard has taken over as the dominant big man in the league. Howard averages 21 points and 14 rebounds per game. Just like LeBron of Cleveland, Dwight is not the only horse in the stable for this team. Rashard Lewis is a stone cold three point shooter who has great size and athleticism. Lewis averages 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Having him outside the arc is a huge weapon for the Magic as the majority of other teams do not have a guy near his size who can play stellar defense on the perimeter. Alongside Howard and Lewis, the Magic have the man they call “The Wild Turk”, Hedo Turkoglu averages 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He has made the transition over the last few years from a backup player to a border line star. His multi-facet skill set has caught the eye of the league as teams now have to prepare for him as a every game threat. Orlando’s front office did a nice job after Jameer Nelson went down to go acquire Rafer Alston who is a seasoned NBA veteran. The Magic average two more points per game while giving up four more against. The rest of the teams stats are basically identical. They shoot the same percentage from field and the same percentage from three point land to the exact number. The Cavs average only one more rebound per game.
Haimo’s Hot Notes: We split yesterday winning Penn State but losing the OVER 138. Tonight we get back on track as this is my BEST BET of the night. As stated above, the underdog and road team in this match up has flourished as of late. Here is another trend that should excite you. Cleveland is 11-3 in their last 14 Friday night games. I except Ilgauskas and Varejao to do a decent job on Howard tonight and Lebron should go off after a disappointing performance his team gave last night. It is very doubtful to me that the Cavs will lose back to back games at this point of the season. Both of these teams have a lot on the line, so expect a rough and physical game. The Cavs and Magic have split the season series with both teams winning at home.
Season records
Cleveland is 61-14
Orlando is 55-19
Betting Line: Orlando Magic -3.5 & Over/Under 188
Jordan’s Picks: Take Cavs +3.5 (BEST BET) & Cavs/Magic OVER 188
Documented Record:
24-22 OVERALL
8-6 BEST BET
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