Orlando and Charlotte are at it again this evening after playing against each other in their respective returns from the All-Star break just a few nights ago. The Magic prevailed in that meeting at Amway Arena 107-102 in overtime. Tonight they get together in Charlotte for a 7:00pm ET tip off. NBA Picks: Orlando Magic vs Charlotte Bobcats at Bodoglife.com are favoring the road Magic -2.5 against the spread.
The Magic have played anything but their best basketball of late, losing in four of their last seven games. They welcomed the break by allowing the Nuggets to beat them 82-73 in Orlando and they squeaked by the Bobcats 107-102 coming out of it. The difference in the Charlotte game was an unbelievable performance from big man Dwight Howard.
Howard scored a career high 45 points, grabbed 19 rebounds (eight offensive), and blocked eight shots. His effort, coupled with the Bobcats abysmal free throw shooting (8-of-17), helped the Magic escape back-to-back home losses.
Orlando headed to New Orleans on Wednesday and received the kind of beating that leaves a mark. The Hornets were all over the Magic from the opening tip and never relented in the 117-85 victory. Chris Paul poured in 36 points and dished out 10 assists in the lopsided win.
Despite their current up and down routine, the Magic still have a 7.5 game lead over the Hawks in the Southeast division. At 39-14, they are 17.5 games ahead of the fourth place Bobcats and in third place in the Eastern Conference standings, a mere two and a half games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Stan Van Gundy's squad is 18-8 on the road this season and 8-2 versus division opponents. Their 103 point per game road scoring average ranks third in the league.
Charlotte enters this evening's contest having won three of their last four games. The loss, of course, being their narrow miss in Orlando. The Bobcats recovered from that failure to take out the Indiana Pacers 103-94 on Wednesday night at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. The Pacers hit just 5-of-22 beyond the arc and 13-of-23 from the charity stripe in the defeat. Forward Gerald Wallace led Charlotte with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
Larry Brown's team is 16-14 at home this year, where they average 93.4 points per game and hold visitors to a ridiculous 91.8 average. Charlotte, at 22-32, is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings, but only three and a half games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the final playoff spot.
Bodoglife.com's NBA Picks: Orlando Magic vs Charlotte Bobcats
Orlando Magic -2.5
Charlotte Bobcats +2.5
NBA Picks Betting Trend: The Bobcats are 7-3 against the spread playing as a home underdog versus the Magic with a spread between 0 and 3.5.
