NBA Picks: Orlando Magic at Oklahoma City Thunder
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The Oklahoma City Thunder will go for their fourth straight win when they host the Orlando Magic Thursday night. Both teams were in action Wednesday night. Orlando had their nine game winning streak snapped in a 92-89 overtime loss at New Orleans. The Thunder were able to escape Houston with a 118-112 win. their first win in 12 trips to play the Rockets. This is the first meeting between these two teams this season, but Orlando has won eight of their last nine games against the Thunder. Taking a look at the NBA spreads for tonight’s games, oddsmakers have the Magic favored by 1-point over the Thunder.
Looking for a great place to do your NBA betting this season? Sports Interaction is offering a special 100% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit!
The Magic have had trouble putting four solid quarters together, but they have still been winning games relatively easily. It finally caught up to them last night. Still Dwight Howard had a chance to put Orlando up late in overtime, but missed both of his free throw attempts. Howard did his part though with 29 points and 20 rebounds.
Jason Richardson added 21 points, as he hit 5-8 from three-point range, and Ryan Anderson scored 14 off the bench. No one else reached double-figures for the Magic, as they shot just 39% as a team. Over their nine game winning streak, the Magic would routinely have six to seven guys scoring double-digits.
It will be interesting to see how much energy the Magic have in this game, as they just played a hard fought overtime game, and also have to deal with traveling.
The same could be said for the Thunder, as they played a fast-paced game against the Rockets, and also must travel back home. While the Thunder got the win, they have to be concerned with their effort on the defensive side of the ball. They allowed the Rockets to score 70 points in the paint, and Houston has no one as good as Howard down low.
Kevin Durant helped the Thunder get over their poor defensive performance with a team-high 31 points. Russell Westbrook added 23 points and 13 assists, and Jeff Green and Serge Ibaka each had 16.
Both teams have played well when playing with no rest, but my concern is home court enough to propel the Thunder over a Magic team they have really struggled with? I don’t think it is. I think Howard creates too much of a problem for Oklahoma City, and the Magic are much better on the defensive side of the ball.
For more help with who to take this season, check out what our expert handicappers have to offer in their daily NBA picks.
Got something to say?
