Mavericks-Magic NBA Betting Picks and Predictions

Dallas Mavericks at Orlando Magic
Tuesday, 12/21/10, 7:00 PM EDT, TV: NBATV
Opening Point Spread: Orlando -4
Current Betting Line: Orlando -3.5
Opening Total: 190
Current Total: 190.5

The Dallas Mavericks have covered all seven games this season as an underdog and are getting points tonight in Orlando

Dallas put an end to Miami’s 12-game winning streak with a 98-96 win on Monday night and now will be focused on handing Orlando its eighth loss in nine games. The Mavericks were led offensively by forward Dirk Nowitzki’s 26 points and held the Heat to 40.5 percent shooting from the floor. “We mixed up our zone and man-to-man nicely,” said Nowitzki about the team’s defense. “Anytime you hold a good offensive team to 40 percent shooting, it’s a good thing.” With the victory, the team moved its record to an impressive 9-1 on the road, including a perfect 2-0 mark versus the Eastern Conference. Dallas is a perfect 7-0 ATS as an underdog this season and is currently getting points on the NBA lines page.

The Mavericks split two games between the Magic in the 2009-10 series and the all-time series is currently tied at 22 wins apiece. Dallas has proven victorious in 11 of the last 15 meetings with Orlando. Nowitzki averaged 23.5 points and 5.0 rebound against the Magic last season, helped by guard Jason Terry scoring 16.0 points and grabbing 4.0 rebounds a contest. Playing close games has been a winning venture for this club, posting a 9-4 record in games decided by five points or less. Dallas also comes into this highly-anticipated match-up winners of 15 of its last 16 games overall.

Orlando made some major moves to shake up its roster over the past week and will look to turn things around after averaging just 88.1 points in losing seven of the last eight games. “We’re starting from scratch,” said coach Stan Van Gundy. “We would have all liked it to have been better but it wasn’t.” The Magic suffered a 91-81 loss to the Hawks on Monday night, with four new players on the roster, many NBA experts expected a slow beginning. Center Dwight Howard had 19 points and 20 rebounds in the contest, but looked out of sorts at times with new faces on the floor. Orlando is 1-6 ATS when playing on back-to-back days.

The Magic definitely gained some major offense with the recent additions of Gilbert Arenas and Jason Richardson on the perimeter. “This is a great opportunity for me, coming here, playing with a great group of guys,” Richardson commented. “Dwight is the most dominant player in the league right now.” Arenas was utilized as the sixth man against the Hawks, making only 2 of 11 shots for 11 points. Orlando has a good chance of starting to right the ship at the new Amway Center, posting a 9-4 record at home this season. The Magic have an average margin of victory of 17.1 points at the venue.

Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Mavericks are 4-0 ATS versus the Southeast Division, while the Magic are 9-3 ATS as a favorite of 0.5 to 4.5 points.