Professional sports handicapper Jeff Mattingly previews a Thursday night NBA matchup between the visiting Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic at the new Amway Center.
At the time of this writing, the board is Phoenix Suns +10.5 (1.82, -122) and Orlando Magic -10.5 (2.14, +114)
Phoenix really didn't have a chance in a 123-96 blowout loss in Miami last night, entering the contest on fumes after beating the Lakers and Nuggets on back-to-back nights. "We just never came close to guarding Chris Bosh," said head coach Alvin Gentry. The Suns interior defense allowed Bosh to break out of an early-season funk with 35 points. Offensively, the team managed to hit just 5-of-19 3-point shots, something that must improve to have a chance in tonight's contest. Phoenix has won nine of the last 12 meetings, but are concerned that point guard Steve Nash will miss the second game of a back-to-back due to a sore groin. "I kind of took a little risk," said Nash. "It didn't feel great, but I don't think I did serious damage to it."
The Suns are 6-5 overall and 1-1 versus the Eastern Conference this year. Phoenix had dropped two-straight games in Orlando, a place where they have not collected a victory since November 10, 2007. The squad does have a 28-13 all-time record against the Magic, mainly due to a dominating 16-5 mark in the Valley of the Sun. Bench play will be key due to the grueling early-season schedule this team has faced, as the reserves have nearly doubled their opponents this season with 38.9 points per game compared to 23.7.
Orlando has struggled from long-distance this season and will likely look to take advantage of its rebounding edge in this Thursday night contest. The Magic are the third-best rebounding team in the league, while the Suns are allowing opponents to average an NBA-tying 46.4 rebounds per game. "History tells you that they can shoot the ball and we can't panic over 10 games," said head coach Stan Van Gundy. "We haven't shot it well, but these guys have a history of shooting it well." Orlando is coming off a 89-72 home victory over the Grizzlies on Monday night, a contest that saw center Dwight Howard score 18 points and grab 14 rebounds. The team has a brilliant 17-6 ATS mark versus Pacific division clubs.
Continued:
Magic host a worn out Suns club : Basketball : Betfair.net
11-18-2010, 04:00 PM
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