Detroit At Orlando
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 27, 2013
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
TV: 6 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Detroit Plus, Fox Sports Florida
Prediction: Pistons 98, Magic 96

Oddsmakers currently have the Magic listed as 2½-point favorites versus the Pistons, while the game’s total is sitting at 197.

Detroit has been inconsistent, but it is at its best when grinding it out in a low-scoring game and letting big man Greg Monroe (15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds) go to work in the paint. The Pistons also have a pair of up-and-coming players in second-year point guard Brandon Knight (13.7 points, 4.4 assists) and rookie center Andre Drummond (7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds). Drummond contributes to a deep bench that averages 37.2 points.

Detroit was a 110-88 loser in its last match on the road against the Heat. They failed to cover the 9.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 198 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

Team record: 16-27 SU, 20-23 ATS
Current streak: lost 2 straight games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games when playing Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 6 of last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 6 games when playing on the road against Orlando
is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
When playing on Sunday are 3-7
Before playing Milwaukee are 5-5
After playing Miami are 1-9
After a loss are 4-6

Scoring isn’t a problem for Orlando – all five starters average double figures – but the team struggles at the defensive end. That has been especially true lately, as the Magic have allowed 100 or more points in 11 of their last 13 games. Arron Afflalo (17 points) is the top scorer and big men Glen Davis (15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (11.8 points, 11.1 rebounds) are having productive seasons. The Magic also need guards Jameer Nelson (15.2 points, 7.3 assists) and J.J. Redick (14.9 points, 4.4 assists) to shoot well to be successful.

Last time out for Orlando, they were a 97-95 loser as they battled the Raptors at home. The Magic failed to cover in the match as a 4-point favorite, while 192 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Team record: 14-28 SU, 21-21 ATS
Current streak: lost 4 straight games.
The total has gone OVER in 14 of last 16 games
is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 8 of last 10 games at home
When playing on Sunday are 7-3
Before playing Brooklyn are 5-5
After playing Toronto are 3-7
After a loss are 2-8

The post Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic Free Betting Tip & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.

Miami At Orlando
When: 5:00 PM ET, Monday, December 31, 2012
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Prediction: Heat 105, Magic 88.

Oddsmakers currently have the Heat listed as 9½-point favorites versus the Magic, while the game’s total is sitting at 193½.

Dwyane Wade returned from a one-game suspension in time for the game in Milwaukee and scored 24 points, but it was not enough. LeBron James added 26 points, but no one else had more than 12 and the Heat were outscored by 21 in the fourth quarter. Miami has struggled at times on the defensive end but appeared to have everything come together on the winning streak, during which opponents managed an average of 89.5 points. But that defense has taken a hit in the last two games, with lowly Detroit shooting 58.1 percent in a 109-99 loss and the Bucks exploding in the fourth quarter on Saturday.

Miami lost its last outing, a 104-85 result against the Bucks on December 29. The Heat failed to cover in that game as a 4.5-point favorite, while the 189 combined points took the game UNDER the total.

Davis was joined on the sidelines by starting point guard Jameer Nelson (hip) and his backup, E’Twuan Moore (elbow), on Saturday. None of the three practiced on Sunday, and Nelson and Moore will be game-time decisions for Monday’s contest. Davis is expected to miss at least another two weeks. The upside to the injuries has been increased playing time for rookies Andrew Nicholson and Moe Harkless. Nicholson went for a career-high 22 points in the loss on Saturday after moving into the starting lineup for just the second time.

Last time out for Orlando, they were a 123-88 loser as they battled the Raptors at home. The Magic failed to cover in the match as a 3-point favorite, while 211 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.

Miami:
Team record: 20-8 SU, 15-13 ATS
Current streak: lost 2 straight games.

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games
is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 7 games when playing on the road against Orlando
is 8-16-1 ATS in its last 25 games when playing Orlando

When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing Dallas are 6-4
After playing Milwaukee are 9-1
After a loss are 7-3

Orlando:
Team record: 12-18 SU, 15-15 ATS
Current streak: lost 5 straight games.

is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games at home
is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing Miami

When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Chicago are 8-2
After playing Toronto are 3-7
After a loss are 3-7

The post Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic Free Basketball Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.

When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oddsmakers currently have the East All-Stars listed as 3½-point favorites versus the West All-Stars, while the game’s total is sitting at 285.

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GAME QUICK FACTS
First Held: 1951
Series Record: East 36, West 24
2012 Dates: Feb. 24-26
2012 Site: Orlando – Amway Center
All-Star Friday: Celebrity All-Star Game, (ESPN, 7 ET); Rising Stars Challenge, (TNT/ESPN Radio, 9 ET)
All-Star Saturday: Shooting Stars, Three-Point Shootout, Taco Bell Skill Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest (TNT/ESPN Radio, 8 ET)
All-Star Sunday: 2012 NBA All-Star Game, (TNT/ESPN Radio, 7 ET)

Jeremy Lin has been the NBA’s biggest story this month, but the focus shifted back to Howard, where it began this season, with the NBA’s midseason event in the city he insists he loves but wants to leave.

That meant a wall of reporters and cameras surrounding him, asking the same questions Carmelo Anthony was peppered with last year during All-Star Friday, just before his trade request from Denver was granted.

“Thank you, Dwight!” Anthony yelled when he spotted the swarm. “It’s your turn!”

Howard has asked for a trade, but he’s still here and there’s no telling for how much longer. The Magic could deal their center before the March 15 trade deadline, or hold onto him all season and risk losing him while getting nothing back in July.

Howard’s table was between Anthony and LeBron James, two of the league’s best-known stars. Yet neither had anywhere near the attention of Howard, and Anthony was glad to yield the spotlight after his status overshadowed last year’s festivities in Los Angeles.

“I’m glad it’s not me anymore,” Anthony said.

James went through the free agency circus the season before, and acknowledged that it wore on him.

“Yeah, absolutely,” James said. “I know exactly what he’s going through. It’s a tough situation but he’s going to handle it. He’s a man. He’s going to handle it. He’s going to do what’s best for him.”

Lin wasn’t forgotten, even after James and the Heat on Thursday forced him into the worst game since he became the Knicks’ starter earlier this month. Many All-Stars were asked about Lin, who was playing only in Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge featuring rookies and second-year players yet was given his own evening press conference to accommodate the large media interest.

Howard said every time he watches TV, he sees something about Lin, the NBA’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. He was asked if there was anything that could stop the undrafted guard from Harvard.

“Uh, he hasn’t gone up against the Great Wall of Orlando yet,” Howard said.

This wall may be moveable.

The Magic have given Howard’s agent permission to discuss deals with the Nets, Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, and there was plenty of speculation he could be dealt even before the season began, just as Chris Paul was.

That would have created an awkward All-Star reunion.

Howard literally towers over this city, his face pictured on billboards overlooking the interstate and on a giant Adidas ad high atop the outside of the Amway Center. This region caters to visitors, but didn’t have to consider how it would have welcomed Howard.

“I’m here, so it doesn’t matter what would’ve or should’ve happened,” he said. “But you know I’m here and we want to have a great time. I’m looking forward to all the events and showing everybody my city.”

With its new arena in just its second season, Orlando is hosting the All-Star game for the first time since 1992, one of the NBA’s most memorable. Magic Johnson won MVP honors only a few months following his retirement after contracting the HIV virus.

Even Shaquille O’Neal, who has been critical of Howard in the past, says he hopes the MVP this time goes to Howard. O’Neal started his career with the Magic before bolting as a free agent, and he said recently it would be a “travesty” if Howard leaves.

If fans fear Howard following Shaq’s path, he said they never tell him.

“Whatever you decide to do, we’re behind you 100 percent,” they say, according to Howard.

“They’ve been great,” Howard added. “Despite what people may say or think, the fans here have always been great to me. I really appreciate it. They’ve showed me nothing but love from Day 1 and I’ve done the same thing. This city means a lot to me.”

Howard said he was looking forward to playing this weekend with James, Anthony and Dwyane Wade, who join league MVP Derrick Rose in the powerful Eastern Conference starting lineup.

The West is an L.A. story, with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum of the Lakers joining the Clippers’ Paul and Blake Griffin. Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant rounds out the first five.

The All-Star weekend would have been in jeopardy had the lockout lasted much longer. An agreement was reached during Thanksgiving weekend and the season opened on Christmas, allowing for a 66-game schedule.

The play has been sloppy and injuries have piled up as players navigate a schedule that forced them to play on three straight nights for the first time since 1999, following the last work stoppage. All the All-Stars said they were eager to be here, even though many probably would benefit from the rest.

And Wade said ugly play won’t be a problem Sunday night.

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