NBA Spreads: Orlando Magic at Portland Trail Blazers
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The Orlando Magic will open a four-game road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight. The Magic lost 80-74 to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, it was their second straight loss and one of their worst offensive outputs of the season. Portland on the other hand is starting to get things going. After losing six straight, the Trail Blazers have won two in a row, as they put together a 37-point fourth quarter on Tuesday to beat the Phoenix Suns 106-99. Looking at our NBA odds for the game tonight, the Magic are favored by 2-points over the Trail Blazers in this one.
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The Magic were hit hard with the flu-bug last week, as Dwight Howard, J.J. Redick, Mickael Pietrus, and Jameer Nelson have all missed time lately with an illness. While Howard, Redick, and Pietrus all returned Monday against the Hawks, this will be the first game back for Nelson.
The Magic looked like they were still sick with the way they played against the Hawks, but they should be ready to go tonight. The Magic are 15-6 on the season, and an impressive 6-3 away from home. When this team is healthy they are one of the elite teams in all of basketball.
The key for the Magic will be getting Howard going early. Howard averages just under 13 points a game at the Rose Garden in his career. While its surprising that any team can hold Howard to that few of points over his career, Portland is a difficult place to play. The Trial Blazers are just 10-11 on the season, but are 6-3 on their home floor.
The Trail Blazers will welcome back point guard Andre Miller tonight, who had to serve his one-game suspension while his teammates took on the Suns. Miller is fourth on the team, averaging 13.5 points a game, whiles leading the team in assists (7.2) and steals (2.2).
Wesley Matthews is really coming on for the Trail Blazers, as he has scored at least 23 points in seven of his last 10 games. Matthews has formed a pretty dynamic duo on the outside with all-star Brandon Roy, who leads the team in scoring at 18 points a game.
Even though the Trail Blazers have been a much better team at home this season, I really like the Magic to come in and win this game. Making this a pretty easy bet when you only have to lay 2-points on the Magic against a team with a losing record.
If you are looking for more help with who to take in this game, check out what our expert NBA handicappers have to say in the NBA picks.
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