Celtics perfect home mark against the East in jeopardy

[Betfair]

The Orlando Magic get set to take on the Boston Celtics in an Eastern Conference showdown inside the TD Garden Monday night

At the time of this writing, the board is Orlando Magic +3.5 (1.91, -110) and Boston Celtics -3.5 (2.02, +102)

Orlando has won its last three visits to Boston in the regular season, but still trail in the series 12-29 in games played on the road. The Magic snapped a two-game losing streak when both Jason Richardson and J.J. Redick scored 21 points to lead a second-half comeback in a 108-99 win over Minnesota. "Anytime you play with a center like Dwight Howard, it makes the game easier," Richardson said. "It's a fun way to play." He has made 19 of 34 shots from 3-point range during the past five games and averaged 19.9 points over that span. The team is 26-14 overall and 8-3 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents.

The Magic will be focused on how point guard Jameer Nelson performs in tonight's contest due to the team posting a 10-4 record against the Celtics when he scores at least 12 points. Orlando has used 10 different starting lineups so far this season, which is close to the 11 it used during the 2009-10 campaign. The squad is currently 11-9 on the road this season and finished 25-16 away from the Amway Center last season. Under head coach Stan Van Gundy, Orlando is 90-53 on the road. Offensively, the team is averaging 99.5 points per game on the year compared to 102.8 last season.

Boston has won two of its first three games in its current six-game home stand and will look to improve upon its 18-3 mark at the TD Garden tonight. The Celtics are anticipating the return of star forward Kevin Garnett, who missed nine games due to injury, which will be a great help considering he scored a game-high 22 points in Orlando on December 25. The team is coming off a 99-94 win over Charlotte last time out and held a 42-29 advantage on the boards. Boston is 8-12 ATS at home on the year and 7-13 ATS the past three seasons after playing three consecutive home games.

The Celtics will need a big game from Paul Pierce to try and stop the Magic's success in the series, as he's averaging career-highs in field goal percentage and free throw percentage. He will lean heavily on getting the ball from point guard Rajon Rondo, who missed the first meeting between these two teams earlier in the year, but the front court will be missing some muscle. Center Shaquille O'Neal is expected to miss tonight's contest with a leg injury, while Jermaine O'Neal and Kendrick Perkins are also out. All of the injuries may not matter due to the team coming in with a perfect 13-0 record at home against Eastern Conference teams.

Bettors will be interested in backing the Celtics due to their 10-2 ATS mark with two days off, while the Magic are 1-8 ATS as a road underdog of 0.5 to 4.5 points