Handicapping Game 3 – NBA Finals
NBA Finals betting at Bookmaker Sportsbook picks back up Tuesday night when the series shifts to Amway Arena in sunny Orlando, FL for Game 3. The Los Angeles Lakers (79-23, 53-49 ATS) will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Orlando Magic (71-32, 61-41 ATS) after they picked up an overtime victory in Game 2. Though they won outright, the Lakers failed their betting backers after winning by just a 101-96 final count.
The five-point victory saw the Lakers fail to cover the 6.5-point closing NBA betting pointspread, and the combined 197-points fell short of the 202-point closing ‘total’. Each team holds an ATS victory in the series, and each of the first two games played under the ‘total’.
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Orlando F Rashard Lewis was a no-show in Game 1, but he more than made up for it on Sunday night when he lead all scorers with 34-points. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and got his teammates involved in the scoring department seven times. Dwight Howard had another monster game with 17 points and 16 rebounds, while Hedo Turkoglu hit 50% of his attempts from beyond the arc to chime in with 22. Unfortunately, the Magic’s guard play really hampered them throughout the game (20 turnovers) even though they won the battle of the boards (44/35).
The Lakers cooled down a bit from the field in the second game of the NBA betting Finals, but it was still enough to take a commanding 2-0 lead. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in scoring with 29, and Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom had big night’s once again combining for 43 points and 18 rebounds. As a team, LA shot 46.2% from the field on 36-of-78 shooting, and it converted 24 of its 28 shots from the charity stripe (85.7%).
Game 3 finds the Magic installed as 4-point home favorites with the game ‘total’ set at 198-points.
Even though the Magic dropped each of the first two games of this series, they hold 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS marks against Lakers this season. Game 1 of this series was the first time Orlando failed to cover the pointspread against a Pacific Division opponent this season.
They’re 22-10 SU and ATS against non-conference opposition, and they’re 39-11 SU & 29-21 ATS within the comfy confines of Amway Arena this season.
Orlando is 5-3 ATS as a home favorite in the playoffs to date.
That said; the Lakers boast tremendous 8-3 SU & 9-2 ATS marks when installed an underdog in 2008-09, and the underdog’s proven to be rabid in this series with it biting in seven of the L/8 overall meetings. LA’s 2-1 SU & ATS as a road underdog in the playoffs. However, the Lakers have failed their basketball betting backers when leading in a 2009 playoff series going 5-5 SU & a bankroll depleting 2-8 ATS.
Total players take note: While the ‘under’ had proven to be a lucrative position to take when these two franchises hooked up in the Staples Center, the complete opposite has occurred when they’ve squared off in Orlando; the ‘over’ is a perfect 5-0 ATS the L/5 meetings. It’s also 5-2 ATS the L/7 times the Lakers were installed a road pup of 0-4.5-points, and Orlando’s played to the ‘over’ four of the L/5 times it’s played on one day’s rest.
Game 3 is a must win for the Magic if they’re to make any kind of noise in this series. If they fall in defeat, they can kiss their chances of capturing the franchise’s first NBA Championship goodbye!
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