PREMIUM
GAME OF THE WEEK (Rogers' 10* NBA) >> Won NHL & NFL GOW L2 Days!
(NBA) Orlando vs. LA Lakers,
Total: 216.00 | -110.00 Over
Result: Win
Total: 216.00 | -110.00 Over
Result: Win
The set-up: The 16-22 Orlando Magic will be at Staples Center tonight to take on the 14-26 LA Lakers. This marks the opening of a daunting six-game, 10-day road trip with games after this against the Clippers, Blazers, Jazz, Nuggets and Pelicans. The Lakers won for only fifth time in their last 20 games Friday night but the team and their fans were quite happy with the 127-100 rout of the Heat, as the Lakers recorded a season high in points.
Orlando: The Magic kick off this six-game road trip coming off a 100-93 home loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday. The Magic have lost their last two and four of their last five contests.The Magic's defense has hurt them for teh last month but they had to be encouraged by holding the high-scoring Rockets to 14 points under their average. Orlando's youngsters remain inconsistent and scoring consistently remains an issue, as the Magic rank 27th in points scored (99.0), 24th in FG percentage (43.9) and 29th in FT percentage (71.4).
LA Lakers: LA's 14 wins may not be all that impressive but when one considers LA is coming off 17 and 21 wins the last two seasons (over 82-game schedules), those 14 wins in 40 games provide a 'light at the end of a tunnel.' Luke Walton has four guards who can score in starters Russell (15.6 & 4.6 APG) and Young (14.5), along with Williams (18.1) and Clarkson (13.9) off the bench. The 6-8 Randle (13.7 & 8.7) is having a solid season, although SF Deng (8.2 & 5.9) is well past his prime and center Mozgov (8.0 & 4.4), as the Lakers and their fans are finding out, never has nor never will, have a prime!
The pick: The Lakers are a poor defensive team, allowing 110.1 PPG (26th) on 47.8% shooting (30th) but the Magic don't have the skill to take advantage of LA's defensive shortcomings. The Magic took advantage of the Lakers concluding a seven-game, 12-day road swing to post a 109-90 win back on Dec. 23 in Orlando, as the Lakers had nothing left in the tank. This is a perfect revenge spot for LA but also for a 10* play on the Under.
Orlando: The Magic kick off this six-game road trip coming off a 100-93 home loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday. The Magic have lost their last two and four of their last five contests.The Magic's defense has hurt them for teh last month but they had to be encouraged by holding the high-scoring Rockets to 14 points under their average. Orlando's youngsters remain inconsistent and scoring consistently remains an issue, as the Magic rank 27th in points scored (99.0), 24th in FG percentage (43.9) and 29th in FT percentage (71.4).
LA Lakers: LA's 14 wins may not be all that impressive but when one considers LA is coming off 17 and 21 wins the last two seasons (over 82-game schedules), those 14 wins in 40 games provide a 'light at the end of a tunnel.' Luke Walton has four guards who can score in starters Russell (15.6 & 4.6 APG) and Young (14.5), along with Williams (18.1) and Clarkson (13.9) off the bench. The 6-8 Randle (13.7 & 8.7) is having a solid season, although SF Deng (8.2 & 5.9) is well past his prime and center Mozgov (8.0 & 4.4), as the Lakers and their fans are finding out, never has nor never will, have a prime!
The pick: The Lakers are a poor defensive team, allowing 110.1 PPG (26th) on 47.8% shooting (30th) but the Magic don't have the skill to take advantage of LA's defensive shortcomings. The Magic took advantage of the Lakers concluding a seven-game, 12-day road swing to post a 109-90 win back on Dec. 23 in Orlando, as the Lakers had nothing left in the tank. This is a perfect revenge spot for LA but also for a 10* play on the Under.
