The Detroit Pistons continue their southern road swing tonight when they face Eastern Conference foe Orlando. Detroit, which is in desperate need of a win, can probably think of a few other places that they would prefer to be playing at this evening; however, the schedule gods have not relented to their desires and they will square off against the Magic at 7:00pm ET at the Amway Arena in Florida. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic NBA Picks at SBGglobal.com are favoring Orlando -9.5 against the spread.
The Pistons are still in second place in the Central division but their current eight game losing streak has put their standing in serious jeopardy. The Milwaukee Bucks are just a game behind Detroit in both the division and Eastern Conference standings. The Pistons could easily fall out of their seventh place playoff position with a few more losses as the aforementioned Bucks, as well as the Bulls and Nets, are rapidly closing on them.
Detroit has lost the first three games of their current five game road stand, falling to Cleveland, Miami, and New Orleans. Despite 24 points and six assists from Richard Hamilton, the Pistons could not overcome the first quarter loss of Allen Iverson and the ejection of Rasheed Wallace. They went on to lose the game 87-90 after Davis West and Chris Paul combined for 50 points.
Michael Curry has watched his team go 13-14 on the road this season and average a paltry 92.8 per game in oppsoing venues. They have kept themselves in ball games by limiting host teams to just 94.5 per outing.
Orlando has not been as consistent since the loss of point guard Jameer Nelson, but they have still managed to win three of their last four games. The Magic have moved their Southeast leading record to 42-15 since disposing of Charlotte, Miami, and New York in the past week. Their last outing was a 114-109 win at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks.
The Magic shot 51 percent from the field in the victory while holding New York to 41 percent shooting. Hedo Turkoglu had a game high 33 points, Dwight Howard contributed with 24 points, 21 boards, and four blocked shots.
Orlando now has a 10 game lead over the Hawks in the division and they are in third place in the Eastern Conference standings, a mere 2.5 games back of the first place Cavaliers. They are 22-6 at Amway Arena this year where they hold teams to a ridiculous 91.6 per game.
SBGglobal.com's Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic NBA Picks:
Pistons +9.5 (-110), Over 186.5 (-110), +400 (Moneyline)
Magic-9.5 (-110), Under 186.5 (-110), -600 (Moneyline)
