Pro Basketball Betting: Orlando Magic vs Denver Nuggets Predictions

Orlando Magic at Denver Nuggets
Tuesday, 12/14/10, 9:00 PM EDT, TV: NBA TV
Opening Point Spread: Denver -1
Current Betting Line: Orlando -1
Opening Total: 204
Current Total: 206

The Orlando Magic have moved to a slight road favorite in facing the Denver Nuggets tonight inside the Pepsi Center

Orlando snapped a four-game losing streak with a convincing 94-85 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers behind center Dwight Howard’s 22 points. The Magic averaged just 86.8 points in the four games before facing the league’s worst team, which has a few experts questioning the club’s chances later in the season. “There are going to be tough times and tough stretches in the season and it’s just about how you get out of it,” said point guard Jameer Nelson. “This is just one game and we’re happy to have it, but we have to build from it.” Defense has been the strength of this team throughout the season, holding Los Angeles to 38 percent shooting from the field last time out, while ranking fourth in the league in allowing just 91.9 points per game. Orlando is 9-15 ATS on the season and moved from a underdog to slight road favorite on the NBA lines page.

The Magic are 28-15 all-time versus the Denver Nuggets during the regular season, including a 1-1 mark last year. Orlando and Denver have split the last 14 meetings, but the Magic have lost six of the last seven games in the Mile High City. The club is currently 7-5 on the road this season after finishing 25-16 away from Orland in 2009-10, the third-best road record in team history. Even though the team has struggled at times this season, it still carries the sixth-best point differential (+5.1) in the NBA, but is still off from its NBA-best +7.5 mark of last year.

Denver looks to extend its seven-game winning streak at the Pepsi Center, following a 1-3 road trip that ended with a 129-125 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday. The Nuggets simply couldn’t avoid the distraction of forward Carmelo Anthony possibly being traded before the end of the year and those voices became louder while in the Big Apple. “More of the drama, man,” Anthony stated. “I was there and so it was a hot topic to talk about it. That’s not my focus right now. My focus is to try to get some wins back home.” He scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the loss after sitting out the previous two games. The team is 10-1 at home this season, including a perfect 4-0 mark versus the Eastern Conference. Denver is 8-14 ATS on the year and 103-99 ATS over the last three seasons.

The Nuggets own a lifetime .349 winning percentage against the Magic, which ranks as the second worst winning percentage for Denver against a single opponent (Los Angeles Lakers). With the recent loss, the team has now had 16 of its 23 games this season decided by single digits, including 11 games by five or fewer points. The club is tied with Boston for the best home record in the entire league, while posting a 178-58 mark at the Pepsi Center under head coach George Karl. In fact, Denver has posted 54-8 home record in its last 62 home games, averaging 111.4 points per contest.

Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Magic are 13-3 ATS as a road favorite of 0.5 to 4.5 points, while the Nuggets are 4-15-2 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.