NBA Betting: LeBron & Cavs meet Howard & Magic
NBA Betting: LeBron & Cavs meet Howard & Magic
Thursday night's NBA doubleheader on TNT features one contest pitting superstars against one another in the East and another matching up old rivals out in the West. The evening begins in Orlando where LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to face the Magic. Game 2 will come from the desert when the San Antonio Spurs make a road trek to meet the Phoenix Suns.
Being an NBA player is hazardous to your health. Gerald Wallace suffered a partially collapsed lung and a broken rib Tuesday night, courtesy of a hard foul by Andrew Bynum. Trevor Ariza left that game in the second quarter with a concussion and didn’t return. The next time the Bobcats and Lakers meet, it might have to be in a cage.
Speaking of which, we have the Spurs and Suns ready to rumble in the second game of our TNT betting doubleheader. But first… we’re going to Disney World!
Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic (-4, 195)
Thursday, Jan 29, 8:05 p.m. (ET) TNT
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. The Cleveland Cavaliers (35-8 SU, 29-14 ATS) and the Orlando Magic (34-10 SU, 29-14-1 ATS) have been trading places with Boston at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Cavs are currently in front, and they have a higher point differential (+10.6) than the Magic (+8.2) thus far. However, Orlando is laying four points at home, betting odds that suggest an even matchup on neutral ground.
Cleveland’s full-season stats aren’t going to be as useful as we’d like for this matchup. Guard Delonte West (14.8 points per 40 miuntes, .409 from downtown) is out until March with a broken wrist. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas (21.0 points, 10.8 rebounds/40) could return to the lineup against Orlando, but according to the Akron Beacon Journal, coach Mike Brown is skeptical about how well Ilgauskas can play after missing a month with a cracked bone in his ankle. The Big Z is officially listed as doubtful. Cleveland is 9-3 SU and 7-5 ATS without him; Anderson Varejao has filled in at center with 10.8 points and 7.1 rebounds in 34.2 minutes per game.
The Magic welcomed shooting guard Mickael Pietrus (broken wrist) back to action Tuesday against Indiana, and he delivered 27 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Orlando won’t get that every day from the big Frenchman, but Pietrus has fit well into his new environment, putting up 19.6 points and 5.5 boards per 40 minutes with strong defense. That’s a notable improvement over Courtney Lee (10.9 PER), Keith Bogans (8.2 PER) and the infamous J.J. Redick (9.8 PER). The Magic still went 10-3 SU and 9-4 ATS this month without their top 2-guard.
Orlando has taken three of four games off the Cavs this year at 3-1 ATS. The over and under each cashed in twice; Thursday’s total is 195 points.
San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns (-1½, 198½)
Thursday, Jan 29, 10:35 p.m. (ET) TNT
The nightcap is also expected to be a close match, but in this case, the Suns (25-18 SU, 15-26-1 ATS) are only favored by 1½ points at home over the Spurs (30-14 SU, 20-23-1 ATS). The two teams have split a pair of games, with Phoenix (PK) winning 103-98 on the road in October and San Antonio (+2½) returning the favor on Christmas Day. The lingering memory is Roger Mason’s game-winning 3-pointer in a 91-90 final; he’s apparently taken over Robert Horry’s old job.
The Suns have run hot and cold since then, winning six of seven before losing five of their last eight. But the common denominator has been their failure to cash in. Phoenix is 4-10-1 ATS since Christmas and 5-13-1 ATS since acquiring Jason Richardson from Charlotte. Richardson has a subpar 13.7 PER in 20 games with the Suns after producing a 16.3 PER to start the season with the Bobcats. That’s partly because his assist numbers are at a career-low 2.6 per 40 minutes. Only one ball to go around, and Steve Nash (11.1 assists/40) is probably the one passing it.
Both teams are healthy going into this matchup. The under is on a tasty 5-1 run for the Spurs to improve to 25-18-1 on the season. The last three Suns game in a row went under, as well, although Phoenix is not quite the slowpoke people expected after Mike D’Antoni’s departure. The over is still 23-19 for the Suns this year. Thursday’s total is 198½.
Thursday night's NBA doubleheader on TNT features one contest pitting superstars against one another in the East and another matching up old rivals out in the West. The evening begins in Orlando where LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to face the Magic. Game 2 will come from the desert when the San Antonio Spurs make a road trek to meet the Phoenix Suns.
Being an NBA player is hazardous to your health. Gerald Wallace suffered a partially collapsed lung and a broken rib Tuesday night, courtesy of a hard foul by Andrew Bynum. Trevor Ariza left that game in the second quarter with a concussion and didn’t return. The next time the Bobcats and Lakers meet, it might have to be in a cage.
Speaking of which, we have the Spurs and Suns ready to rumble in the second game of our TNT betting doubleheader. But first… we’re going to Disney World!
Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic (-4, 195)
Thursday, Jan 29, 8:05 p.m. (ET) TNT
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. The Cleveland Cavaliers (35-8 SU, 29-14 ATS) and the Orlando Magic (34-10 SU, 29-14-1 ATS) have been trading places with Boston at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Cavs are currently in front, and they have a higher point differential (+10.6) than the Magic (+8.2) thus far. However, Orlando is laying four points at home, betting odds that suggest an even matchup on neutral ground.
Cleveland’s full-season stats aren’t going to be as useful as we’d like for this matchup. Guard Delonte West (14.8 points per 40 miuntes, .409 from downtown) is out until March with a broken wrist. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas (21.0 points, 10.8 rebounds/40) could return to the lineup against Orlando, but according to the Akron Beacon Journal, coach Mike Brown is skeptical about how well Ilgauskas can play after missing a month with a cracked bone in his ankle. The Big Z is officially listed as doubtful. Cleveland is 9-3 SU and 7-5 ATS without him; Anderson Varejao has filled in at center with 10.8 points and 7.1 rebounds in 34.2 minutes per game.
The Magic welcomed shooting guard Mickael Pietrus (broken wrist) back to action Tuesday against Indiana, and he delivered 27 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Orlando won’t get that every day from the big Frenchman, but Pietrus has fit well into his new environment, putting up 19.6 points and 5.5 boards per 40 minutes with strong defense. That’s a notable improvement over Courtney Lee (10.9 PER), Keith Bogans (8.2 PER) and the infamous J.J. Redick (9.8 PER). The Magic still went 10-3 SU and 9-4 ATS this month without their top 2-guard.
Orlando has taken three of four games off the Cavs this year at 3-1 ATS. The over and under each cashed in twice; Thursday’s total is 195 points.
San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns (-1½, 198½)
Thursday, Jan 29, 10:35 p.m. (ET) TNT
The nightcap is also expected to be a close match, but in this case, the Suns (25-18 SU, 15-26-1 ATS) are only favored by 1½ points at home over the Spurs (30-14 SU, 20-23-1 ATS). The two teams have split a pair of games, with Phoenix (PK) winning 103-98 on the road in October and San Antonio (+2½) returning the favor on Christmas Day. The lingering memory is Roger Mason’s game-winning 3-pointer in a 91-90 final; he’s apparently taken over Robert Horry’s old job.
The Suns have run hot and cold since then, winning six of seven before losing five of their last eight. But the common denominator has been their failure to cash in. Phoenix is 4-10-1 ATS since Christmas and 5-13-1 ATS since acquiring Jason Richardson from Charlotte. Richardson has a subpar 13.7 PER in 20 games with the Suns after producing a 16.3 PER to start the season with the Bobcats. That’s partly because his assist numbers are at a career-low 2.6 per 40 minutes. Only one ball to go around, and Steve Nash (11.1 assists/40) is probably the one passing it.
Both teams are healthy going into this matchup. The under is on a tasty 5-1 run for the Spurs to improve to 25-18-1 on the season. The last three Suns game in a row went under, as well, although Phoenix is not quite the slowpoke people expected after Mike D’Antoni’s departure. The over is still 23-19 for the Suns this year. Thursday’s total is 198½.