Tag: Orlando Magic

NBA Betting Value Picks for Wednesday, April 10

By: Al Walsh – Follow him on Twitter @14AdotWalsh

It has all come down to the final night of the NBA season. Eight of the games on tonight’s slate have some level of implications on the playoff picture in each conference. There’s nothing left to do but sit back and have a fun night watching these matchups.

Let’s take a look at which games have plenty of value in the betting trends tonight…

[8:10 p.m. EST] Orlando Magic at Charlotte Hornets (-4) – Total: 219.5

The Hornets need a win and Pistons’ loss in order to clinch the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. And it’s a lot easier said than done, considering the Pistons will be facing the Knicks, who own the worst record in the NBA. None of the three games in this Charlotte-Orlando season series have been nail-biters, with the winning margin coming by an average of 31.7 points – the Hornets have the 2-1 edge over the Magic this season.

Considering the Hornets need this game in order to have a chance of making the playoffs, we should see them have another successful performance tonight. In fact, Charlotte has gone 9-2 against the spread in its last 11 games.

[8:10 p.m. EST] Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks (+9.5) – Total: 206.5

Alright, the table has been set for the Pistons tonight – win and they’re in. However, this team just exerted a ton of energy in a miraculous comeback win over the Grizzlies at home last night, and now have to bring that same level of intensity on the road. Granted, the Knicks have the NBA’s worst record and there’s no chance they’ll relinquish that fate at the end of the night. There’s a good chance, though, that they come out with a fiery effort in the final game of the season. In essence, this is a playoff-like game for the Knicks.

Detroit just isn’t playing its best basketball heading down the stretch and 9.5 points seems like a wishful number to hit on the road, especially for a team that hasn’t covered the spread in five consecutive games and could be without Blake Griffin. I do think the Pistons get the win tonight, but it certainly won’t be by double-digits on the back-end of a back-to-back.

[10:40 p.m. EST] Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (-6.5) – Total: 225

The Clippers could avoid a first-round matchup with the almighty Warriors by winning tonight’s game against the Jazz, and the 6.5-point spread looks a lot easier to hit with Utah sitting all of its key players.

It’s an interesting scenario too because the Spurs and Thunder games matter a lot to the Clippers’ fate. San Antonio and OKC will tip off its respective games at 8:10 p.m. EST, two-and-a-half hours before Los Angeles takes the floor. According to ESPN… If the Spurs lose and Clippers win, LA grabs the No. 7 seed. If the Thunder lose, and Spurs and Clippers win, LA would get the No. 7 seed in that scenario as well. If all three teams win, or the Clippers lose, LA would get the No. 8. It’s all very simple, you see? Yikes!

With the Clippers essentially playing the Jazz D-squad, look for them to roll in this game.

NBA Betting Value Picks for Sunday, April 7

By Al Walsh – Follow him on Twitter @14AdotWalsh

If you haven’t been watching the NBA this season, Sunday is a great day to get yourself reacquainted with the game. There is a total of eight games on the docket that have some level of importance towards making the playoffs or positioning within the standings. Buckle up, folks. The Lord’s Day is going to be a dandy!

NBA Value Betting Picks for Sunday, April 7

[4:00 p.m. EST] Charlotte Hornets (+6.5) at Detroit Pistons – Total: 216

The Hornets have beaten the Pistons in all three meetings this season, two of them coming by 10+ points. After a brutal stretch of games out West, Charlotte has won its last two games and, thanks to help from other teams, still finds itself in the running for the last playoff bid in the East. The highest SK Trend Confidence on this game is in favor of the Hornets, who are 7-3 in their last 10 games against teams with a losing record.

[7:35 p.m. EST] Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics (-190 ML) – Total: 217

Believe it or not, the Celtics have lost each of their two meetings against the Magic this season. This is a perfect time for Boston to repay the favor and finally clinch home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics, who have gone through the motions this season, are clicking at the right time with five wins over the last six games. Those two wins from the Magic came by a combined five points. That, coupled with the fact that Orlando is fighting for its playoff livelihood, makes Boston a much safer play on the moneyline.

[9:00 p.m. EST] Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers (-135 ML) – Total: 217

This is EXCELLENT (I repeat… EXCELLENT) value on the Trail Blazers in this game. Why, you ask? Stay with me…

These two teams just played each other on Friday as part of a home-and-home series, and the team losing on the front-end of these matchups have come back to win over 70% of the time this season. Portland actually played Denver very well on Friday, despite what the nine-point differential might suggest. In fact, the Blazers are 6-1 in their last seven home games and desperately need a win tonight to keep a grip on the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Take Portland with confidence and, as an added sprinkle of goodness, the over in this game has a 27% Trend Confidence rating in this game – our second-highest rating on the entire slate.

NBA Betting Preview for Friday, April 5

By Al Walsh – Follow him on Twitter @14AdotWalsh

Get ready for another exciting night of NBA hoops! The Spread Knowledge top value plays of the night are listed below. However, because they are such heavy favorites on the moneyline, we’re only advising you to take them as an extra caveat to add to your parlays:

  • Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers (-667 ML)
  • New York Knicks at Houston Rockets (-2500 ML)

[7:10 p.m. EST] Under 226.5 – Atlanta Hawks (+342 ML) at Orlando Magic

There’s no getting around it, but the Orlando Magic need to win, as they currently sit in the final spot of the Eastern Conference playoff race. This is the final time that Orlando will have a regular season game on its home court, so the level of importance doesn’t even need to be described.

However, the SK value system loves the moneyline number on the Atlanta Hawks, who have been quite pesky down the stretch with outright wins over the 76ers (twice), Bucks and Jazz. Hawks point guard Trae Young is still trying to make one last heroic attempt at winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award and he can certainly make life difficult on the Magic defense.

While it is true that Orlando hit four straight overs, 216 has been the highest total over that stretch. Granted, Atlanta’s NBA-leading pace and lackluster defense are the reasons we see a 226.5 total tonight, but that just lends more optimism that the Hawks come in and pull off the upset win. In fact, two of the three Hawks-Magic matchups have gone under tonight’s total.

[8:10 p.m. EST] Under 213 – Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers

These two teams just faced off last Friday and now they’ll do battle once again. The term “battle” is an understatement, as they both have the same record and find themselves jockeying for homecourt advantage in their eventual first-round playoff matchup. The Boston Celtics do hold the head-to-head tiebreaker but a win for the Indiana Pacers would be monumental here.

The one lean the SK value system has is Under 213 points in the game, mainly because of the importance of defense in this matchup, as Indiana ranks third in defensive efficiency and Boston ranks sixth. Not to mention, the two teams just saw each other and will likely have their best defensive efforts on deck.

[10:10 p.m. EST] New Orleans Pelicans (-130) at Phoenix Suns

The SK value system has quite the knack for pointing out these late-season NBA games that have absolutely no meaning whatsoever in the standings. However, the amount of key players the Phoenix Suns are missing is just too large to ignore. Granted, the New Orleans Pelicans will be missing Anthony Davis but that seems like a blip on the radar, consider the Suns are missing Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and T.J. Warren.

Look for the Pelicans B-team to get the win over the Suns C-team.

[10:40 p.m. EST] Portland Trail Blazers (+236 ML) at Denver Nuggets

In what would be a dazzling upset win, the SK value system loves the Portland Trail Blazers to go on the road and get the outright W over the Denver Nuggets. The Trail Blazers have won 11 of their 13 games while the Nuggets have been a very Jekyll-and-Hyde sort of team, going 3-4 over the last seven. Denver has won each of the previous two meetings versus Portland this season by a combined four points. Not to mention, these two teams will face each other in their next game on Sunday – time for the Trail Blazers to get busy and even the score.

College Basketball and NBA Betting Preview for Saturday, March 30

It’s Saturday night and I know that you’re feeling alright! There are two pivotal games in the Elite 8 tonight for college basketball but don’t you forget about those professional ballplayers now, ya hear? Plenty of matchups on the Saturday docket with playoff implications on the line. Let’s take a look at what the Spread Knowledge system likes above all…

By the way, don’t forget to sign up for our 🚨Live Pick Alerts🚨 sent directly via or email or text!

COLLEGE BASKETBALL BETTING PREVIEW

[6:10 p.m. EST] Gonzaga (-4) vs. Texas Tech

The Gonzaga Bulldogs bring the nation’s top offensive efficiency rating into today’s Elite 8 matchup and the Texas Tech Red Raiders will be waiting there with the nation’s top defensive efficiency rating. Defense might win championships, but the SK system doesn’t think it’ll win this game between the two heavyweights. This is Gonzaga’s third trip to the Elite 9 in the last five seasons and they have a defense that can be quite daunting at times as well. All in all, that will be the difference in the Bulldogs getting the win and covering the spread.

[8:50 p.m. EST] Virginia (-4.5) vs. Purdue

Defense must be the theme of the evening as UVA Cavaliers take on the Purdue Boilermakers. The SK system likes UVA to overcome its first-round misfortunes from last season and move on to the Final Four. The Cavaliers have held their opponents to an average of only 52 points per game during the NCAA Tournament and tonight’s main task will be suffocating Purdue’s Carsen Edwards and Ryan Cline. Look for UVA to get the job done and do so in convincing fashion.

NBA BETTING PREVIEW

[6:10 p.m. EST] Under 228 – Sacramento Kings at Houston Rockets (-526 ML)

The SK system gives us one of its famous double-dips again with the Houston Rockets and under the total of 228. These Rockets are absolutely rolling at the moment, winning 15 of their last 18 games, and will have a chance to move up to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. As for the under in this game – well, you’re in good hands there. Houston games have gone under the total in 15 of its last 19, and as the Rockets start inching toward the playoffs, defense is the one thing they’ll be focusing on more than anything. Look for the Rockets to win this game while keeping the Kings off the scoreboard.

[7:10 p.m. EST] Under 204.5 – Orlando Magic at Indiana Pacers

This is a big game for both sides here as the Orlando Magic hit the road to take on the Indiana Pacers. Th Magic are a half-game behind the Miami Heat for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Pacers would love to crawl back to the No. 4 spot with a win and a Boston Celtics’ loss tonight. Magic games have gone under the total in 12 of the last 16 games, while the Pacers played a tough game in Boston last night. Look for the pace to be slowed down a bit and a lot of energy put on the defensive end for both sides in such an important game.

NBA Preview for Monday, March 25th

There are only four games on the NBA docket this evening but plenty of playoff implications on the line. In fact, six of the eight teams on tonight’s schedule have some level of urgency to get a win.

(7:05 p.m. EST) Philadelphia 76ers (-1.5) at Orlando Magic – Total: 219

To start the evening, the Philadelphia 76ers face the Orlando Magic. With the Eastern Conference playoff picture starting to take shape, the Magic are trying to make sure they’re not left out of the race. They currently find themselves one game behind the eighth-place Miami Heat, who will be waiting for Orlando and their monumental showdown tomorrow night. The Magic have gone 4-0 on their current five-game homestand, all against teams with a losing record (Cleveland, Atlanta, New Orleans, Memphis), while the 76ers have a stronghold on the three-seed in the East but did have their six-game winning streak snapped in Atlanta on Saturday night.

It’s interesting to note that the Sixers opened as 4.5-point favorites, but that spread has since plummeted three points down to 1.5 in favor of the visitors. Philly is 2-1 against Orlando this season, with the average margin being five points between the three games. 78 percent of public bets are on the Sixers tonight, perhaps giving some credence to the fact that the Magic have more motivation to win — Our system also thinks so.

(8:05 p.m. EST) Oklahoma City Thunder (-7) at Memphis Grizzlies – Total: 216.5

The Oklahoma City Thunder should be happy to see the Memphis Grizzlies on their schedule, considering they have been winners in nine of the last 10 meetings between the teams – 6-4 against the spread. However, OKC has failed to cover the spread in 12 of its last 16 games, while Memphis is 4-1 outright in its last five games, winning against top-flight teams like Portland, Utah, Orlando and Houston. Our system doesn’t have a specific lean for this game, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Memphis get up for a marquee opponent and keep it close.

(9:05 p.m. EST) Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz (-15) – Total: 216

The Utah Jazz aren’t in serious jeopardy of losing of their playoff bid, but it would behoove them to keep on their winning ways against a hapless Phoenix Suns team that has the second-worst record in the NBA. And they should, as the Jazz have already defeated the Suns by 28 and 17 points in each of their first two meetings this season. The totals went under in each of those two games, and it’s worth noting that Jazz games have produced the under on totals in 10 of their last 14. Our system likes more of the same tonight, with Utah proving to be ultra-focused defensively on its home floor.

(10:05 p.m. EST) Brooklyn Nets at Portland Trail Blazers (-6.5) – Total: 222.5

This game between the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers could end up being the best one of the night when it’s all said and done. The Trail Blazers could clinch a playoff berth with a win, while the Nets are clinging on to one of the last spots in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Brooklyn has the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA and is currently in the midst of a daunting seven-game road trip that will end on Thursday in Philly. Luckily, the Nets had two full days off prior to tonight’s game.

One thing is for certain – both teams need this game. Sure, Portland will make the playoffs but holding on to home-court advantage for its first-round matchup looms large. Meanwhile, making the playoffs for Brooklyn would mean the world. After three years of losing records and not having control of their own draft pick, the Nets rebuild has certainly been fast-tracked quicker than anyone would have ever imagined. Expect both teams to come out crisp on offense and put up plenty of points.