Pro Basketball Handicapping: Houston Rockets at Orlando Magic Betting Preview

Houston Rockets at Orlando Magic
Friday, 1/7/11, 8:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Orlando -10
Current Betting Line: Orlando -9.5
Opening Total: 207
Current Total: 208

The Orlando Magic are heavy favorites in hosting the Houston Rockets at the Amway Center Friday night

Houston brings in a 16-19 overall record into this contest and has compiled a 6-13 mark away from home, including a 2-5 record versus Eastern Conference opponents. The Rockets are coming off a disappointing 103-100 loss to Portland on Wednesday despite receiving a season-high 45 points from guard Kevin Martin. “You can’t just play here and there because you’re going to lose most of the time,” said Martin. “We just have to be more consistent on both ends of the court and try to pull these games out.” He is averaging 23.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on the season. Houston is 6-1-2 ATS following a straight up loss and is nearly a double-digit underdog on the NBA lines page for tonight’s nationally televised contest.

The Rockets are seven in the all-time series with the Magic, 22-22. Houston is 13-9 at home against Orlando and 9-13 on the road. Ironically enough, the team has started the last three calendar years with a record of 0-3. Offensively, the squad relies heavily on making shots from beyond the arc, ranking fourth in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage (.386). Houston is also efficient in shooting the rock at the charity stripe, entering tonight’s game seventh in the league by knocking down 78.7 percent of its tried from the free throw line.

Orlando comes into tonight’s game on a seven-game winning streak and captured a 97-87 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday, holding the Bucks to just 33 first-half points and 39.3 percent shooting overall. The Magic have turned up the defensive pressure of late, giving up just 90.2 points in the last six games. All-Star center Dwight Howard has been on a tear offensively by averaging 24.7 points and 16 rebounds over the last three games, which is a great improvement from the 12.3 and 10.0 he averaged in the previous three games. Orlando is 6-1 ATS as a favorite.

The Magic are a solid 14-5 at home and have tallied a 5-2 mark when hosting Western Conference opponents. Orlando’s seven-game winning streak is tied for the longest current streak in the NBA and marks its longest streak since tallying eight straight wins last season from February 28 to March 13. They have an excellent chance of reaching that mark due to recording a 105-37 record at home under current head coach Stan Van Gundy. The Magic have an average margin of victory at the new Amway Center of 15.9 points per contest.

Bettors will likely back the Rockets due to their 7-1 ATS mark in the last eight meetings in Orlando, while the Magic are 4-12 ATS in the last 16 meetings overall.