The playoffs most contentious series continues today as division rivals Atlanta and Orlando square off at the Philips Arena in Georgia. This afternoon's game four showdown is scheduled to tip off at 7:00pm ET on TNT. NBA Spreads have the Magic listed as a slight -2 NBA Playoff Picks road favorite. Today's game total is set at 178.5 with both the Over and Under drawing -110 odds.
Atlanta stunned the Magic last Saturday night, taking game one of their opening round playoff series 103-93, despite being
an 8.5 underdog. The Hawks, which lost game two 88-82, rewarded their moneyline and against the spread backers again on Friday with an 88-84 win at the Philips Arena.
The victory, which was marred by an ugly incident between the Hawks' Zaza Pachulia and the Magic's Jason Richardson, both of which are suspended for today's contest, gave Atlanta its seventh consecutive cover against its hated Southeast rival.
The Hawks did not overwhelm the Magic on the offensive end of the floor, connecting on just 34 of their 81 field goal attempts, but their defense made up for the poor shooting effort. Atlanta limited Orlando to 73 shot attempts for the game, which resulted in only two Magic players (Dwight Howard 21, Richardson 14) topping the 14 point mark.
Jamal Crawford, whose late three pointer helped the Hawks secure the win, led all scorers with 23 points. Crawford logged 29 minutes off the bench, but he still manage to hoist 17 shots during his modest time on the floor. The Michigan product is averaging 23.6 points per game for the series.
Atlanta has won five of its last six games against Orlando, but look for the Magic to avoid a critcial 1-3 hole today. Howard and company should get back to the Sunshine State with this series locked in a 2-2 tie.
Magic vs Hawks Game 4 Odds 2011 NBA Playoff Picks:
Orlando Magic -2 (-110), Over 178.5 (-110), -130 (Moneyline)
Atlanta Hawks +2 (-110), Under 178.5 (-110), +110 (Moneyline)
