Orlando Magic open NBA week at Miami Heat
The Orlando Magic have been heating up at just the right time to move within an eyelash of unseating Boston as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Rashard Lewis and Co. have picked up wins in eight of their last nine and 12 of their last 14 games to creep within a half-game of the Celtics in standings, and look to keep it going Monday night in Miami when they go up against the NBA's leading scorer, Dwyane Wade.
Operation Shutdown is in effect in Boston. Celtics coach Doc Rivers held Kevin Garnett out of Sunday’s 103-84 win over Oklahoma City (+10½) to allow the Big Ticket to rest his right knee. Garnett also missed Friday’s comeback victory over Atlanta (+1), and Rivers told the Associated Press that Garnett probably would not play Wednesday against Charlotte, either. Although the Celtics beat the betting odds those two games, they were 3-10 ATS during Garnett’s original absence.
While we await word on Garnett’s status, here are three other marquee games to keep us occupied for the next three days.
Orlando at Miami (+3, 194½)
Monday, Mar 30, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
The Magic (54-18 SU, 45-26-1 ATS) have already clinched the Southeast Division title and remain the most profitable team in the league after winning eight of nine at 6-3 ATS. The under went 7-2 during that span. Courtney Lee’s development curve has been evident at shooting guard, where he hit 43.9 percent of his trey attempts in March while cutting down his turnovers. And replacing fallen point guard Jameer Nelson with Rafer Alston (15.5 PER in Orlando) has proved effective in keeping the Magic on track for a deep run into the NBA playoffs.
It looks like the Heat (39-34 SU, 34-37-2 ATS) are also going to the playoffs in the watered-down Eastern Conference. But Miami is hardly championship material at 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS over the past eight games. In their defense, the Heat were on the road for all five of those losses. The road has been very unfriendly to Miami this year at 13-23 SU and 16-19-1 ATS. The Magic have taken nine of the last 10 against their Florida rivals at 7-2-1 ATS; however, those two Miami paydays were in their last two meetings at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Detroit at Cleveland
Tuesday, Mar 31, 7:30 p.m. (ET) NBA-TV
The Pistons (36-37 SU, 31-42 ATS) were the one team Miami was able to beat on the road. That just about says it all for this money-shredding machine. But wait, here comes Allen Iverson to save the day. However disruptive the former league MVP may have been to Detroit’s chemistry upon his arrival from Denver, he’s still a premium guard in the NBA, and he dutifully came off the bench Sunday in his return to action: a 101-97 triumph over Philadelphia (+2½) at the Palace. The Pistons should also have Rasheed Wallace (calf) back in the rotation for Tuesday.
They need all the help they can get. The Cavaliers (60-13 SU, 45-28 ATS) took a pair of wins off Detroit in February, home and away. This was against Iverson, Wallace and the full complement of Pistons. Now Cleveland is the hottest team going with 12 straight wins, taking advantage of a long stretch of home games that continues against Detroit. The Cavs are nearly back to full strength after getting Wally Szczerbiak (knee) in the lineup for Sunday’s impressive 102-74 dismantling of Dallas (+8½). And their defense has been impeccable for coach Mike Brown; the under is on a 4-0 mini-run in Cleveland, convenient because the under is 7-0 between these two clubs the past two seasons.
Houston at Phoenix
Wednesday, Apr 1, 10:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN
The Suns (40-34 SU, 30-41-2 ATS) had a glorious chance to move closer to the Mavericks for eighth place in the Western Conference, but they came up short in Sacramento (+6) on Sunday, losing 126-118 to fall 3.5 games behind Dallas. That made it three straight defeats for the Suns on their three-game road swing. Effort was a big problem against the Kings after a demoralizing overtime loss at Utah (-9), so put on your psychoanalyst hat and keep an eye on the local papers to see what state of mind the players are in.
They won’t have to worry about playing down to the competition on Wednesday. The Rockets (48-26 SU, 36-37-1 ATS) have made a strong push for the No. 2 seed in the West at 11-4 SU and 9-6 ATS in March. While the Alston trade has helped Orlando’s cause, it’s also given Aaron Brooks (14.0 points, 4.0 assists per game as a starter) a chance to develop his offense, while Kyle Lowry comes off the bench to do the dirty work on defense. And defense is what Houston does best: The under is 10-5 this month.
The Orlando Magic have been heating up at just the right time to move within an eyelash of unseating Boston as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Rashard Lewis and Co. have picked up wins in eight of their last nine and 12 of their last 14 games to creep within a half-game of the Celtics in standings, and look to keep it going Monday night in Miami when they go up against the NBA's leading scorer, Dwyane Wade.
Operation Shutdown is in effect in Boston. Celtics coach Doc Rivers held Kevin Garnett out of Sunday’s 103-84 win over Oklahoma City (+10½) to allow the Big Ticket to rest his right knee. Garnett also missed Friday’s comeback victory over Atlanta (+1), and Rivers told the Associated Press that Garnett probably would not play Wednesday against Charlotte, either. Although the Celtics beat the betting odds those two games, they were 3-10 ATS during Garnett’s original absence.
While we await word on Garnett’s status, here are three other marquee games to keep us occupied for the next three days.
Orlando at Miami (+3, 194½)
Monday, Mar 30, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
The Magic (54-18 SU, 45-26-1 ATS) have already clinched the Southeast Division title and remain the most profitable team in the league after winning eight of nine at 6-3 ATS. The under went 7-2 during that span. Courtney Lee’s development curve has been evident at shooting guard, where he hit 43.9 percent of his trey attempts in March while cutting down his turnovers. And replacing fallen point guard Jameer Nelson with Rafer Alston (15.5 PER in Orlando) has proved effective in keeping the Magic on track for a deep run into the NBA playoffs.
It looks like the Heat (39-34 SU, 34-37-2 ATS) are also going to the playoffs in the watered-down Eastern Conference. But Miami is hardly championship material at 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS over the past eight games. In their defense, the Heat were on the road for all five of those losses. The road has been very unfriendly to Miami this year at 13-23 SU and 16-19-1 ATS. The Magic have taken nine of the last 10 against their Florida rivals at 7-2-1 ATS; however, those two Miami paydays were in their last two meetings at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Detroit at Cleveland
Tuesday, Mar 31, 7:30 p.m. (ET) NBA-TV
The Pistons (36-37 SU, 31-42 ATS) were the one team Miami was able to beat on the road. That just about says it all for this money-shredding machine. But wait, here comes Allen Iverson to save the day. However disruptive the former league MVP may have been to Detroit’s chemistry upon his arrival from Denver, he’s still a premium guard in the NBA, and he dutifully came off the bench Sunday in his return to action: a 101-97 triumph over Philadelphia (+2½) at the Palace. The Pistons should also have Rasheed Wallace (calf) back in the rotation for Tuesday.
They need all the help they can get. The Cavaliers (60-13 SU, 45-28 ATS) took a pair of wins off Detroit in February, home and away. This was against Iverson, Wallace and the full complement of Pistons. Now Cleveland is the hottest team going with 12 straight wins, taking advantage of a long stretch of home games that continues against Detroit. The Cavs are nearly back to full strength after getting Wally Szczerbiak (knee) in the lineup for Sunday’s impressive 102-74 dismantling of Dallas (+8½). And their defense has been impeccable for coach Mike Brown; the under is on a 4-0 mini-run in Cleveland, convenient because the under is 7-0 between these two clubs the past two seasons.
Houston at Phoenix
Wednesday, Apr 1, 10:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN
The Suns (40-34 SU, 30-41-2 ATS) had a glorious chance to move closer to the Mavericks for eighth place in the Western Conference, but they came up short in Sacramento (+6) on Sunday, losing 126-118 to fall 3.5 games behind Dallas. That made it three straight defeats for the Suns on their three-game road swing. Effort was a big problem against the Kings after a demoralizing overtime loss at Utah (-9), so put on your psychoanalyst hat and keep an eye on the local papers to see what state of mind the players are in.
They won’t have to worry about playing down to the competition on Wednesday. The Rockets (48-26 SU, 36-37-1 ATS) have made a strong push for the No. 2 seed in the West at 11-4 SU and 9-6 ATS in March. While the Alston trade has helped Orlando’s cause, it’s also given Aaron Brooks (14.0 points, 4.0 assists per game as a starter) a chance to develop his offense, while Kyle Lowry comes off the bench to do the dirty work on defense. And defense is what Houston does best: The under is 10-5 this month.