NBA Free Pick – Monday, December 6, 2010
 |
vs.
|
 |
Atlanta Hawks @ Orlando Magic
Monday, December 6, 2010 at 7:00 pm EST on NBATV
Click Here for more Free Expert NBA Basketball Picks
The Atlanta Hawks take on the Orlando Magic in a key Southeast Division matchup tonight at the Amway Center in Orlando. Tip-off for tonight game is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NBATV.
Atlanta finds itself in a tough position this season, trying to keep pace with Orlando in the Southeast while keeping an eye of that other team from Florida, the Miami Heat, who seemed poised to take control of the division once all that star power figures out how to play as a team. The Hawks are currently 13-8 straight-up on the year and tied with the Heat for second place; 2 ½ games in back of the Magic.
Atlanta had its five game winning streak snapped this past Saturday in an 89-77 loss to Miami. It failed to cover as an 8 ½ point road underdog and the total stayed ‘under’ the 192 ½ point line. The Hawks fell behind early and faced a double-digit deficit most of the way. Al Horford led the team with 22 points and Jamal Crawford added 12 points off the bench with Joe Johnson out of the lineup.
The Hawks will have to find a way to replace Johnson’s 17.1 points per game as he will be out for four to six weeks after undergoing elbow surgery this past week. They will look to Horford and Josh Smith to pick up the slack in his absence. Horford is the team’s second leading scorer; averaging 16.7 points per game and leading rebounder with 9.4 per game and Smith is currently third; averaging 14.9 points per game.
Orlando comes into this game with wins in eight of its last 10 games to run its record to 15-5 SU on the year. The Magic have failed to cover the spread in three of their last five games and are currently just 8-12 ATS.
They have had to play their last two games with four players out of the lineup while battling a stomach virus, including Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. During this stretch, Orlando managed to beat Detroit 104-91 on Friday night as a four-point road favorite but lost to Milwaukee 96-85 as a 4 ½ road underdog. The good news for tonight’s game is Howard and Nelson are expected back, but still listed as questionable.
Howard leads the Magic with 21.3 points and 12.1 rebounds per game, while Nelson is averaging 14.9 points and leads the team in assists with 7.1. Orlando, as a team is only averaging 98.6 points per game, but its defense is holding opponents to an average of 91.4.
Atlanta is 7-3 both SU and ATS in 10 road games this season. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of its 10 games on the road and in 12 of its 21 games overall.
Orlando is 9-2 SU at home this season but just 6-5 ATS. The total has ‘over’ in six of the 11 games at home but has stayed ‘under’ in 12 of the 20 games played overall.
Head-to-head, the Magic have won nine out of the last 10 games SU including a 93-89 win earlier this season. Orlando is also 8-2 ATS in the last 10 games, but failed to cover as nine-point home favorite in their first meeting on Nov. 8.
The odds makers have the Orlando Magic as a -6.5 point favorite with an over/under of 188.
This could be a wait and see game, given that Howard and Nelson are still questionable for tonight. If they play, take Orlando and give the eight points as the Hawks will continue to struggle against the better teams in the league with Johnson out of the lineup.
Atlanta Hawks Betting Trends:
- Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
- Atlanta is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games
- Atlanta5-1-1 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 5 games
Orlando Magic Betting Trends:
- Orlando is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
- Orlando is 5-11-1 ATS in its last 17 games
- Orlando is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
- Orlando is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.