The Orlando Magic has now lost six games in a row to the Detroit Pistons and according to oddsmakers, will lose again tonight when the teams tip-off at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Palace in Auburn Hills near Detroit. The Pistons are currently favored in Game-Two of the NBA playoffs first round by a -8.0 point chalk with the total holding at 183 . The price of a money line bet on Detroit varies between -420 and -470, depending on the individual sportsbook while the ML juice on the Magic is anywhere between +320 and +380.
In the five games against the Magic this season, including Saturday’s playoffs game-one, the Pistons have gone 3-1-1 ATS with the total going OVER in 3-of-5 games between the teams.
The last four times these teams have played, they have combined for 183+ points each time. In Detroit's last 9 home games, the OVER covered 7 times. In Orlando's last 7 road games, the OVER covered 6 times. The last 14 times these teams have squared off, the OVER covered 10 times. With the given trends, it isn't surprising that about 73 per cent of the early money is on the OVER (183).
Detroit led by as many as 16 point s, and then held on for a 100-92 victory over Orlando in Game-One of their best-of-seven, first round playoff series at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Chauncey Billups scored 22 points and dished out a game-high 11 assists to lead the Pistons. All five starters scored in double figures for the Pistons. Rasheed Wallace had 16 points, while Tayshaun Prince and Chris Webber each added 12. Hedo Turkoglu led the Magic with 17 points, while Dwight Howard tallied 13 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks in his playoff debut. The Pistons led 28-16 after the first quarter and by as many as 16 points during the second half. With 53.8 seconds remaining in the game, a two-hand dunk by Howard trimmed the deficit to 93-90. However, Prince answered on the next possession with a dunk and the Pistons held on to take a 1-0 series edge.
After tonight’s game, the first round series shifts to Orlando for game-three and game-four this Thursday and Saturday. If needed, the series will return to Auburn Hills on May 1st for game five.
