Orlando Magic Los Angeles Lakers Game 3 Predictions

Written June 8, 2009 by Jason Lowry

magic-lakers-basketball The Los Angeles Lakers have done their job, as they head to Orlando for game 3 up 2-0, but it wasn’t pretty as the Lakers were a Courtney Lee layup away from losing all the momentum they gained from their dominating game 1 performance. Fortunately for the Lakers they were able to hold off the Magic for a 101-96 win in overtime.

The Lakers got another strong performance from Kobe Bryant, as the superstar dropped 29 points in game 2, after scoring 40 in game 1. Pau Gasol was on his game scoring 24 points with 10 rebounds, and Lamar Odom did his part coming off the bench to score 19 points and grab 8 rebounds. Derek Fisher was the only other Laker to reach double figures with 12. Trevor Ariza really struggled to find his shot, as he had just 8 points on 3-13 shooting.

The Magic got an unbelievable performance from Rashard Lewis, as the small forward had 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists, and was nearly the entire offense in the 2nd quarter, scoring 18 of the Magic’s 20 points. Hedo Turkoglu had a much better showing in game 2, as he had 22 points, but the real story was the continued struggle of Dwight Howard on the offensive end. Howard finished the game with 17 points and 16 rebounds, but those are not numbers you expect from someone who is considered one of the best in the game at his position. Other than the trio mentioned, no other Magic player scored more than 5 points, as the rest of the team was a pitiful 8 for 31 from the floor.

The series is not over just yet, as the Magic have a shot at getting right back in this thing with 3 straight games at home, but they can likely not afford to lose any of those 3 games if they want to win the series. Game 3 is scheduled for Tuesday night, and here is a look at what I think each team needs to do to win this game, plus my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.

What the Lakers need to do to win: Defensively this team seems to have the answer for Howard, as they have really controlled the big man in the first two games, but it will be interesting to see if they can bring that same intensity on the road. I think it will be key that Bryant has a big game for the Lakers to win on the road, but this team will really benefit if Ariza can find his shot. It will also be key that Gasol and Odom continue to play well down low, and I don’t think Odom got enough credit for how well he played in game 2, as he was nearly perfect from the floor going 8-9 and gave the Lakers 46 minutes even though he continues to battle a bad back. I think the Lakers will find a way to win a game on the road, but its hard telling which one that will be. Bet the Lakers +4 to win game 3 at Sportsbook.com.

What the Magic need to do to win: I think the biggest thing for the Magic in game 3 will be forgetting game 2, as they have to feel like they should have came away with a win. The Magic shot much better in game 2 compared to game 1, as they went from 30% to nearly 42%, but I think they are going to have to shoot even better than that if they want to not only win game 3 but games 4 and 5 as well. Other than trying to find a way to get Howard some easier looks, the Magic have to take care of the basketball if they want to win game 3. The Magic had 20 turnovers in game 2, including 7 by Howard alone. Lewis was outstanding in game 2 and will be a huge part of the Magic’s comeback attempt in the next few games, but I think it will be just as important for Turkoglu to bring his best game as well. Look for the rest of the Magic team to step it up on their home floor in the next few games, and I have a good feeling the Magic will at least make a series out of this. Bet the Magic -4 to win game 3 at Sportsbook.com.

My Prediction: Magic -4

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