Round 1, Game 2, Atlanta Leads Series 1-0
April 19, 2011 at 7:30 PM EST
Opening Line: ORL -8.5
Current Line: ORL -9.5
Moneyline: ORL -605, ATL +475
Total: 183.5
It’s hard to imagine setting two offensive records for Magic playoff history and losing the game, but that’s precisely what happened. Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard combined for 73 of Orlando’s 93 points, as the Magic fell by a score of 103-93. Dwight Howard’s 46 points tied a Tracy McGrady record for the most points scored in a Magic playoff game and 20 of Jameer Nelson’s 27 points came in the third quarter, setting a Magic record for most points in a quarter. Also, 31 of Howard’s 46 points came in the first half, setting another record. It all sounds so good, until you consider what their teammates contributed.
Jason Richardson and J.J. Redick combined for 8 points from the shooting guard position, while giving up 48 to the tandem of Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson. Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson combined for zero points from the power forward position, while allowing Horford to score 16 points in 45 minutes of play. Hedo Turkoglu shot 2 of 9 from the floor en route to 6 points. The teammates of Jameer & Dwight just didn’t do enough, and if the Magic are to win this series in which they are favored, they are going to need bigger games from the role players.
Atlanta has now won 4 of 5 matchups this season against Orlando after struggling badly in the past two seasons, accumulating a 1-8 post season record against the Magic. The Magic swept the Hawks last season and no game was even in single digits in point differential. Joe Johnson appeared to be on his way out of Atlanta, after commenting “We could care less if they (fans) showed up at all.” Not exactly the kind of thing you want to say to your fan base.
Hawks coach Larry Drew did not get overly excited about the victory. “It’s a seven-game series and anything can happen,” Drew said. “All I wanted us to come in here and do is play hard and maintain our composure. … I could tell our guys were ready for tonight’s game.”
Confidence is running high throughout Atlanta players, though. “Oh yeah. We came here with the objective to get two games,” Hawks center Jason Collins said when asked if taking two games on the road would be a “death blow” to the Magic. “We put ourselves in position and now we look forward to getting Game 2 on Tuesday night.”
Jamal Crawford also feels the approach to beating the Magic is a simple formula. “Just to continue to do it with five guys,” he said. “Continue to make the right play giving up good shots for great shots. That’s why we shot such a high percentage. Guys passed up some good shots but we got great shots in the long run, we worked the clock well. We will continue to do things well that were successful for us.”
Some betting trends:
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games and they are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games. The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Atlanta’s last 11 games and the total has gone UNDER in 11 of Atlanta’s last 16 games on the road. Atlanta is 1-4 SU in their last 5 road games and the Hawks are 4-1 SU in their last 5 against the Magic. The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 7 games against the Magic and the Hawks are 5-11 SU in their last 16 games against the Orlando Magic. The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the Hawks’ last 7 games against the Magic on the road and the Hawks are 6-19 SU in their last 25 games on the road in Orlando.
The Orlando Magic are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games and they are 6-15 ATS in their last 21 games. The total has gone UNDER in 7 of their last 9 at home and the Magic are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games at home. Orlando is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 at home and they are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games against the Hawks. The total has gone UNDER in 6 of the Magic’s last 7 games against the Hawks and the Magic are 1-4 SU in their last 5 gamse against Atlanta. Orlando is 11-5 SU in their last 16 games against the Hawks and the Magic are 19-6 SU in their last 25 home games against the Hawks. The total has gone UNDER In 5 of the Magic’s last 7 games at home against the Hawks.
While Orlando struggled in game 1, they remain favorites both in this game, and in the series (in the eyes of most analysts). It will take a much stronger effort from the Orlando guards, however, if the Magic are to fulfill expectations.
