Orlando Magic Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 Predictions

Written April 22, 2009 by Jason Lowry

76ers Magic Basketball It was a weekend for the road team, and the Philadelphia 76ers made sure that they were in on the fun, as they upset the No.3 seeded Orlando Magic 100-98 in game 1 of the best of 7 series. Unlike some of the other road teams to win over the weekend in game 1 action, the 76ers were not in this game the whole way, as the Magic had a 79-65 lead going into the 4th quarter. For the 76ers it was a pretty balanced attack with Andre Iguodala leading the way with 20 points 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Andre Miller also had an overall great game scoring 15 points with 7 rebounds and 7 assists. The Magic also got some big time play from their bench, as Lou Williams scored 18 points on 7-11 shooting and Donyell Marshall had 11 points in 11 minutes, including a huge 3 pointer late in the game that tied it up at 98. For the Magic it was all Dwight Howard early, as the big man had 31 points and 16 rebounds on the game, but the Magic continued to hoist up 3-pointer in the 4th quarter when it looked like Howard could score at will. The magic got little from Hedo Turkoglu, who had just 6 points on 2-8 shooting. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night and here is a look at what I think each team has to do win this game, and my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.

What the 76ers have to do to win: The 76ers need to build off their strong 4th quarter performance that stole them game 1, and while they can’t stop Howard from scoring, they need to do a better job at limiting his easy looks, as Howard was 11 of 13 from the field. The 76ers will also need another strong outing from both Iguodala and Miller, along with the bench play it got in game 1. The real key for the 76ers is not being satisfied with splitting the series at Orlando and heading home with home court. The 76ers weren’t overwhelmingly dominate on their home floor during the regular season, so they need to go out there and do whatever it takes to win this game. I also think the 76ers need to do what they can to keep Lewis and Turkoglu from finding a rhythm in this one, as they looked pretty rusty in their first game back in over a week. I think this series has 7 games written all over it, but the 76ers can change that with a win Wednesday night. Bet the 76ers +10.5 at Sportsbook.com.

What the Magic have to do to win: Besides completely falling apart in the 4th quarter, the Magic have to continue to get the ball to Dwight Howard regardless of how good the rest of the team thinks it is at making 3-pointers. Howard was dominating game 1 and the Magic got off to a great start, and while I don’t have any problem with the Magic shooting 3-pointers, but when the other team is making a run, you need to get the ball into the hands of your best player. Other than that the Magic have to play better defense in game 2, yes they are low on players and have both Lewis and Turkoglu coming back from injuries, but they can’t let the 76ers shoot over 50% in game 2. Bet the Magic -10.5 at Sportsbook.com.

My Prediction: 76ers +10.5. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Magic will win this game, but I don’t think they are going to come out and rock the 76ers in game 2. The Magic’s problem with their depth was pretty obvious in game 1, as their bench scored just 13 points compared to the 76ers 42 points off the bench. Turkoglu didn’t look anywhere near the player he was during the regular season. Unless Dwight Howard goes for 50 points in this one, I got the 76ers covering in game 2.

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