Categories
NBA

Magic vs. Celtics Free Betting Pick | Preview (Jan. 17)

Free NBA Preview and gambling pick including updated point spread and LIVE betting odds for the Orlando Magic vs. Boston Celtics Monday Pro hoops matchup…

NBA Previews – Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics

Welcome to the CappersPicks.com NBA hoops weekly predictions pages! We KNOW you will find our FREE weekly NBA basketball predictions, tips, betting advice, strategies, NBA gambling articles and more to help you become the best NBA Hoops bettor on your block!!

CLICK HERE NOW TO BET AT BOOKMAKER.COM – THE #1 SITE ONLINE FOR NBA BASKETBALL BETTING ODDS AND GAMBLING PROMOTIONS!!!!!

Magic at Celtics Matchup

Date/Time: Monday, Jan. 17   8 p.m. (ET)
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA.
Broadcast: TNT
Magic at Celtics lines by betED.com
Pointspread: Celtics -2 ½
Over/Under: OFF
Go Inside This Matchup With Our NBA ATS Stats —>
Bet Now At Bookmaker.com!

The Orlando Magic are going for their second straight victory this season over the Boston Celtics tonight at the TD Garden in Boston. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on TNT.

Orlando has won eight of its last 10 games straight-up including a 108-99 win over Minnesota as an eight-point road favorite this past Saturday, but still trails Miami in the Southeast Division by three games. The Magic are 26-14 SU overall but just 18-22 against the spread. They are 4 ½-games behind Boston in the Eastern Conference.

This team continues to live and die with the play of Dwight Howard. He leads the team in scoring with an average of 21.7 points and is second in the league in rebounds with an average of 13.3 per game. The addition of Jason Richardson from Phoenix has helped balance things out as he has averaged 15.3 points in his 14 games with the team. Bringing back Hedo Turkoglu has also paid dividends with his 11.6 points and 6.1 assists per game.

The Magic are averaging 99.5 points per game while holding their opposition to 94.3 points per game. They also have the edge in rebounds with an average of 42.3, which is almost three rebounds per game more than their competition. Orlando is hitting 46.5 percent of its shots from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range.

Boston continues to deal with injury concerns to some of its big men. Kevin Garnett is expected to be back for tonight’s game after missing the last nine with a calf strain, but Kendrick Perkins remains on the shelf with a knee injury and Shaquille O’Neal remains questionable with a strained leg muscle.

Despite the injuries, the Celtics held up pretty well with six wins in their last eight games including a 119-95 win over Sacramento last Wednesday as a 13-point home favorite and a 99-94 win over Charlotte as an eight-point home favorite on Friday night. Boston leads New York in the Atlantic Division by a full eight games with an overall record of 30-9 SU (19-19-1) and is back in first place in the East with a 1 ½-game lead over the Heat.

The same old familiar faces continue to get it done for the Celtics. Paul Pierce leads the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game with Ray Allen adding another 17.5 points a game. Rajon Rondo leads the NBA in assists-per-game with an average of 13.4. Garnett remains the team’s leading rebounder with an average of 9.5, but Glenn Davis and Shaq have done a good job in his recent absence.

Boston is averaging a little less than 100 points a game and is ranked first in the league with a 50.3 shooting percentage from the floor. The team is ranked fourth from three-point range; hitting 39.1 percent of its shots. One problem area has been rebounds in general, as the Celtics are ranked dead last in the league with a team average of just 38.2 per game. However, this number has been negated by the fact they are holding their opponents to league-best 38.6 boards per game.

Trends

Orlando is 4-2 ATS in its last six games on the road and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of its last seven games.
Boston is just 2-5 ATS in its last seven home games and 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of its last six games.
Head-to-head, the Celtics have won four of the last seven games SU including the Eastern Conference Finals last season. This year, the Magic won the first meeting 86-78 as a 2 ½-point home favorite. The total has stayed ‘under’ in seven of the last 10 meetings.

It is probably best to check the status of Garnett and O’Neal for this game, although both are expected to play. Orlando has won its last three regular season games in Boston SU, but tonight it is the Celtic’s turn in a four or five point win.

The Pick: Boston -2 ½

CLICK HERE FOR THE BEST NBA BASKETBALL CAPPERS ON THE PLANET & DAILY PLAYS!! —>

By Dave Schwab

David Schwab is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. While not cheering for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles David can be found working on his blog at www.eaglesinc.com. David wants to hear from you so please comment below.