NBA Previews – Houston Rockets vs Orlando Magic
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Rockets at Magic Matchup
Date/Time: Friday Jan. 7 8 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Amway Center, Orlando, FL.
Broadcast: ESPN
Rockets at Magic lines by betED.com
Pointspread: Magic -10
Over/Under: 207
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The Houston Rockets will try and end a three game skid when they take on the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center tonight. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Houston lost its first five games to start the season to dig itself an early hole, but an 11-4 record in the month of December gave the Rockets hope that their season could still be salvaged. Unfortunately the New Year has this team back to its old ways with three straight losses.
A 103-100 loss to Portland as a 4 ½-point home favorite dropped Houston to 16-19 straight-up on the year and 17-16-2 against the spread. The Rockets are currently 13 games behind San Antonio in the Southwest Division and in ninth place in the Western Conference trying to keep a potential playoff spot still within reach.
Kevin Martin remains the go-to-guy for Houston; leading the team with 23.2 points per game. Luis Scola is the team’s leading rebounder with 8.3 boards per game and he is also second on the team in scoring with 19.3 points per game. Kyle Lowry is another key contributor with 10.8 points and a team-high 6.8 assists per game. 
The Rockets have no problem putting points on the board as they average 105.2 per game which is fifth best in the league. They are shooting 45.6 percent from the floor and fourth in the NBA from three-point range; hitting 38.6 percent of their attempts. Houston’s problems lie on defense as it is ranked 25th in points allowed; giving up an average of 104.5 per game.
Orlando’s 97-87 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday night as a 12-point home favorite raised its current winning streak to seven games. This matches Miami for the longest active streak in the NBA. It also maintained the four game spread between the two teams in the Southeast Division. The Magic is currently 23-12 SU (15-20 ATS) and desperately trying to keep Miami from running away with the division.
The addition of Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson, who have been with the team for the last nine games, has definitely given Orlando a boost, but Dwight Howard continues to be the primary force that drives its success. Howard leads the team with 21.4 points per game and his 13.2 rebounds-per-game average is second best in the league. Jameer Nelson leads the team in assists with 6.8 and is second in scoring with 13.7 points per game.
Orlando is only averaging 98 points a game, but its defense is holding opponents to just 92.9 points which is fifth-best in the league. As a team, the Magic are shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and averaging 42.3 rebounds. Led by Howard, they are outrebounding its opponents by a +3.22 margin, which is one of the best in the league.
Trends:
Houston is 3-1-1 ATS in its last five games on the road but 0-4-2 ATS in its last six games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of its last five games.
Orlando is 4-3 ATS in its last seven home games and 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of its last five games.
Head-to-head, the Rockets have won three out of the last five games both SU and ATS, but the Magic have won two in a row including a 102-87 win as an 8 ½-point favorite the last time they played in Orlando.
Houston is running into a buzz saw at the Amway Center on Friday as the Magic are playing their best ball of the season and should have no problem covering the 10-point spread.
The Pick: Orlando -10
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