Orlando Magic at New Orleans Hornets
Wednesday, 1/12/11, 8:00 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Orlando -3
Current Betting Line: Orlando -3.5
Opening Total: 191
Current Total: 191
Orlando goes after a franchise-record 10th straight win on Wednesday night when taking on the New Orleans Hornets inside the New Orleans Arena. The Magic are 25-12 overall, but are just 2-4 against Western Conference opponents on the road. “We’ve just been talking about getting better and reach our peak at the right time,” said All-Star center Dwight Howard. “We want to have momentum going into the playoffs. Right now, it’s early. I’m glad that we’re playing good basketball, but we’ve got to keep it up.” The team is coming off an impressive 117-107 road win over Dallas last time out, with Hedo Turkoglu tallying 13 points and a career-high 17 assists. Orlando shot 51.9 percent from the floor, including 14-of-32 from three-point range. The team is 6-11 ATS on the road this season and currently favored in tonight’s contest on the NBA lines page.
The Magic are 31-34 all-time versus the Hornets and have won seven of the last 12 meetings between the clubs. Orlando is averaging 107.7 points per game during its nine-game winning streak and has won those games by an average margin of victory of 13.9 points per game. Winning on the road under head coach Stan Van Gundy has not been a problem over the last five seasons, as the team has posted a 89-51 record over that span away from the Amway Center.
New Orleans is 22-16 overall this season and has tallied a 14-5 mark at home. The Hornets record at tonight’s venue is even more impressive against Eastern Conference opponents, with just a single loss in nine games. The team is giving up 92.2 points per game, which is tied with Miami for the second best mark in the NBA behind Boston. That unit was key in the squad’s latest 96-87 victory at Denver, especially considering it allowed more than 100 points in the previous two games. “This was a big win for us,” said point guard Chris Paul. “This shows a little bit of growth for us, to hold this Denver team down.” New Orleans is 11-8 ATS at home this season.
The Hornets have won six of their last 10 games and have held 14 opponents to fewer than 90 points this season. New Orleans has also fared well on the boards of late, out-rebounding opponents in 11 of the last 14 games. The team will be finishing off a tough three-game stretch tonight against 20-win teams, posting a 1-1 mark in the first two contests, as the three teams have a combined record of 70-37. A key in tonight’s game is stopping Howard inside the paint, as he averaged 25.5 points and 11.0 rebounds against the Hornets in last year’s series.
Bettors will be interested in backing the Magic due to their 8-1 ATS mark as a favorite, while the Hornets are 6-0 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
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