NBA Basketball
2012-01-02 - Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States: NBA Basketball
Monday 2 January 2012 - Tip Off 7:30pm ET
12:30am (British Standard Time)
Preview
The Detroit Pistons (1-3) surprised me in their last game as they won their first game of the season in dominating fashion over the Indiana Pacers. They played very well on both sides of the court as they restricted the Pacers to less than 90 points.
It was a big night for Detroit as they put in their best effort all round- they had their best shooting night from the field, while also winning the rebound battle after losing on the boards by an average of 13.5 boards in their previous 3 games.
Detroit will look for Jonas Jerebko and Greg Monroe to pick up from where they left off on Saturday night if they want to get a winning run going, although this will not be easy against the streaking Orlando Magic (4-1).
After all the rumours surrounding Dwight Howard's future in Orlando, it was no real surprise to see the team come out flat on Christmas Day, but they have rebounded from that loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder by winning 4 straight, including a come from behind win over Toronto at home last night.
Howard has really picked up his game and is proving why he is so sought after in the NBA- he is averaging 17 points and 17 rebounds so far this season and is being ably backed up by his team-mates, particularly Ryan Anderson.
Anderson played well after Orlando made some big trades during the season last year, but he has started off even better this season as he won the battle against Glen Davis to take a starting berth. Anderson is averaging 20 points per game, the most for the Magic, and he is an effective shooter from beyond the arc, a staple of this Orlando team under Stan Van Gundy.
Orlando have really begun finding their range from the three point range, as they hit 24 of those in their last 2 games, while the team is averaging 100 points per game this season. Orlando have scored at least 94 points during their winning streak, and have cracked 100 points as a team on 3 of those occasions.
Head to Head
Orlando are just 3-7 against the spread in the last 10 meetings in the series, although those 3 wins have come in the last 5 games.
The underdog is actually 9-3 against the spread in the last 12 games in the series.
Orlando have won on their last 2 visits to the Palace of Auburn Hills, both straight up and against the spread.
Detroit are 1-3 against the spread this season, Orlando are 3-2.
Other Interesting Trends
Detroit are 8-3 against the spread in their last 11 games at home.
Orlando have won their last 4 games against the spread when playing on back to back nights.
Prediction
I am going to back the Orlando Magic to record the win on the road tonight and cover the spread for the following reasons:
First, Detroit are still not shooting at a high enough % from the field to stay with an Orlando team that can punish with 3 pointers.
Second, Orlando should be full of confidence after a big come-from-behind win last night against the Toronto Raptors and are playing very well at the moment.
Third, the Magic have a decent recent record against Detroit when they come into the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Pick :
Detroit Pistons 91-103 Orlando Magic