Magic vs. Celtics Pick
Will the Boston Celtics build on their latest win when they play host to the Orlando Magic tonight at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Boston is favored at home tonight, as the Celtics are getting odds of -9 points against the Magic. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 214 points. Boston won the lone meeting this season on Dec.7, 117-87 on the road. Boston has won and covered the spread in three of the last four against the Magic.
Boston snapped a three-game losing streak with a 120-109 win over Houston at home. The Celtics are 27-18 overall and 24-19-2 against the spread. Their defense has been suspect lately, allowing 114.8 per game over their last five. Still, the offense is putting up 113 over that same stretch. On the season, the Celtics average 108.7 per game on offense. Isaiah Thomas has been leading the team with 29.1 points and 6.2 assists per game. He leads a banged-up team as six Celtics are listed on the injury report. Jonas Jerebko (face) and Al Horford (groin) are both probable for tonight’s game while Gerald Green, Tyler Zeller and Demetrious Jackson are all questionable with an illness.
Orlando has lost two straight and five of its last six as it also has been dealing with injuries. Leading scorer Evan Fournier has been out the last six games with a heel injury while his backups Jodie Meeks and CJ Wilcox are also out. Orlando is now 18-29 on the season and 19-27-1 against the spread. The Magic are averaging 99.7 points per game on offense while allowing 104.9 points per game on defense. Serge Ibaka is leading the team with 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while Nikola Vucevic are averaging 13.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.
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Both teams are dealing with a lot of injury issues, but that just means the stars have to step up. I like Thomas over anyone that Magic will rely on tonight. The loss to the Wizards may have sparked something in Boston, as it looked much better against the Rockets. I think Thomas can build off that tonight and lead the Celtics to a win and cover.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: BOSTON CELTICS -9