Los Angeles Lakers Orlando Magic Game 2 Predictions
Written June 6, 2009 by Jason Lowry
The Los Angeles Lakers made sure their was no magic involved in their 100-75 game 1 win over the Orlando Magic. If anything the Lakers made a statement that they are all business and ready to capture that trophy.
It was all Kobe Bryant in game 1, as he dropped in a career finals high of 40 points and nearly had a triple double with 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Pau Gasol added 16 points and 18 rebounds, while fellow big man Andrew Bynum had 9 points and 9 rebounds in just 22 minutes. Lamar Odom came off the bench to score 11 points and grab a team best 14 rebounds, but he wasn’t the only reserve that had a good game, as Luke Walton had 9 points on 4-5 shooting from the floor.
For the Magic it was a combination of poor offense and good defense by the Lakers, as Orlando shot just 30% in game 1. Dwight Howard really struggled to get it going offensively in game 1, as the big man had just 12 points on 1-6 shooting from the floor and 10-16 from the free throw line. Hedo Turkoglu had 13 points, but was just 3-11 from the floor. The only other Magic in double figures was reserve Michael Pietrus who had 14 points. It should also be noted that Jameer Nelson returned to the Magic in game 1, but had just 6 points in 13 mintues, and many believe he messed with the flow this team had comming into this series.
With game 2 scheduled for Sunday at LA, here is a look at what I think each team needs to do to win the game, plus my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.
What the Magic need to do to win: The Magic need to forget what happened in game 1, and come into game 2 ready to go, as game 1 won’t look so good for the Lakers if they fail to go up 2-0. Some of the Magic’s shooting struggles was because of the Lakers strong defense, but I don’t think we will see as poor of shooting as we did in game 1. I think its key the Dwight Howard keeps getting the ball down low, as he had a number of Lakers players battling foul trouble in game 1. The fact that no starter for the Magic made more than 3 field goals in game 1 shows you just how badly they played. I think if the shots start falling game 2 will be a completely different story, as the Magic actually had the lead after the first quarter in game 1, but then went on to miss pretty much every shot they took the rest of the way. Bet the Magic +6.5 to win game 2 at Sportsbook.com.
What the Lakers need to do to win: It was a near perfect performance in game 1 for the Lakers, as they were excellent on both sides of the ball. If Bryant plays like he did in game 1 the rest of the series, the Lakers are going to be you 2009 NBA Champions, but as important as game 1 was, game 2 is even that more important. If there is one thing the Lakers would like to improve, its the 3-point shooting, as they were just 3-9 in game 1. Trevor Ariza struggled to get anything going in game 1 with just 3 points, but he really wasn’t needed for his scoring. It will be interesting to see what this team looks like if Orlando is able to find a way to slow Kobe down, as Bryant really ran the show in game 1. One other thing I think the Lakers have to worry about going into game 2 is keeping their key big men Gasol and Odom out of foul trouble, as this team can’t afford to have both these guys on the bench for a very long time. Bet the Lakers -6.5 to win game 2 at Sportsbook.com.
My Prediction: Magic +6.5. The Magic have shown they can bounce back from blowout losses in the playoffs, and I think they come out and play much better in game 2. Just like game 1, I don’t know if they will have enough to close out the win late, but I feel like they are going to be able to keep it within 7 points.
For those of you looking to do some NBA betting on the game this Sunday, be sure to check out our expert NBA picks and grab the latest NBA odds at Betfirms.
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