Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic
Sunday, 2/13/11, 3:30 PM EDT, TV: ABC
Opening Point Spread: Orlando -1.5
Current Betting Line: Pick
Opening Total: 196
Current Total: 195
Los Angeles is aiming to make it a perfect 5 for 5 on its current seven-game road trip and faces Orlando at the new Amway Center on Sunday. “We’re feeling good about what we’re doing,” said Pau Gasol. “We’ve been successful playing the way we’re playing.” Defensive intensity has been key to the club’s recent run, holding their last three opponents to an average of 88.7 points and 40.4 percent shooting. The team is a solid 19-8 on the road this season, including a 9-1 mark when facing Eastern Conference opponents away from the Staples Center. In their last contest, the Lakers hammered the Knicks by a 113-96 score, led by star Kobe Bryant’s 33 points and 10 rebounds. Los Angeles is 15-12 ATS on the road this season and bettors will be watching the NBA lines page throughout the day.
The Lakers split last season’s series with the Magic 1-1, after dropping the 2008-09 season series for the first time in series history. Los Angeles holds a 31-12 advantage in the all-time series and is 15-5 against them under the direction of coach Phil Jackson. Bryant has played in 24 games against Orlando, averaging 25.7 points in those contests. Today’s game is the first of a back-to-back set, as the team is 7-3 in the first game and 9-1 in the second game of this particular situation. Jackson said he’s tried to limit minutes in handling the situation but doesn’t know what the trick has been in the team’s success.
Orlando brings in a 34-21 overall record into this particular contest and looks to improve upon its 7-3 home mark against Western Conference opponents. The Magic are 9-9 in the last 18 games, allowing them to slid all the way to No. 5 in the Eastern Conference. The team is coming off a 99-93 loss to the Hornets, as center Dwight Howard’s 20 points and 17 rebounds wasn’t enough. “We need to get Dwight the ball,” said coach Stan Van Gundy. “Our perimeter play is mind boggling right now.” Offensively, the unit still leads the NBA in 3-pointers made (513) and attempted (1,419), but they have dipped to 10th in field-goal percentage. Orlando is 13-14 ATS at home this season.
The Magic have actually lost eight straight games against winning clubs over their last 18 games, which has left Van Gundy looking for answers. “Right now if you look at the results, bottom line is that we can’t beat a good team,” he stated. “We haven’t been able to play at the level we need to play.” Orlando has won four of the last six regular season meetings against the Lakers, but have also lost eight of the last 12 meetings at home.
Bettors are likely to back the Lakers due to the road team being 5-0-1 ATS in the series, while the Magic are 1-4 ATS as a home favorite.
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