Magic vs Celtics odds – Defending champions battle fatigue, Dwight Howard
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NBA betting odds have the defending champions from Boston as the sportsbook underdogs after their grueling seven-game series with Chicago, and they’ll be facing an Orlando team that has had time to rest. The Magic put Philadelphia away in six games, and the clincher was very impressive as they beat the 76ers by 25 on the road.
For all you basketball betting fanatics, here’s what the next matchup’s odds look like:
- WHO: Magic vs Celtics odds
- WHAT: Best-of-seven, Eastern Conference semifinals
- WHEN: Game 1 is on Monday, May 4 at 8:00 PM ET
- WHERE: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
- KEY STATS: These two split their four regular-season meetings
- PICK: Orlando in seven
The Magic managed to pull off their win over the 76ers without Dwight Howard, who was suspended for elbowing Samuel Dalembert. When he was on the court, Howard destroyed the 76ers with 24.0 points, 15.8 boards and 2.8 blocks. Rashard Lewis added 19.2 points and 6.0 rebounds, and he shot 37% from three-point land. The biggest surprise was Rafer Alston, who had 15.2 points and 4.8 assists, and an amazing assist/turnover ratio of 4.14. Simply put, the Magic were better than the 76ers, and this really shouldn’t have even gone six games.
The Celtics must be exhausted after their classic seven-game win over Chicago, as they won the deciding game by 10 points at home on Sunday. Ray Allen led the way with 23.4 points, including a 51-point performance in Game 6, and we’ve lost track of how many clutch three-pointers he made. Paul Pierce had 23.1 points, but looked very tired near the end of the series. Rajon Rondo exploded for 19.4 points, 11.6 assists and 9.3 boards, along with 2.7 steals for good measure. Rondo also got into the head of the Bulls with a couple of hard fouls, and eventually got the best of Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose.
Magic vs Celtics odds are favoring Orlando at -120 for this series, and they won the last two of their four meetings with the Celtics during the regular season. This should also be a low-scoring series as three of the four games went under the posted total. Boston did a good job on Howard on the defensive end, as he averaged only 16.8 points, although he added 15.5 boards and 4.0 blocks. The Magic will need more from Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu in this series, while Pierce and Allen will have to replicate their form from the Chicago series. However, Orlando should send the Bulls a thank-you card for wearing down the Celtics, as fatigue will be Boston’s undoing. The Celtics had a good run, but missing Kevin Garnett’s defense in the post will hurt Boston more than it did in the Chicago series as the Bulls had no big men that could really dominate like Howard. Take Orlando in seven as your basketball betting pick.
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Craig Parsons is an avid sports fan, but his true love has always been basketball. Too short to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, he did the next best thing: sports betting and covering basketball for a living. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
