Game of the day: Magic at Hawks
By NICK PARSONS
The Orlando Magic look to close out the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Magic have won the first three games of the series by an average of nearly 30 points.
It’s over Yogi
No NBA team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit and the Hawks surely look like they’ve thrown the towel in. About the only thing left for Atlanta backers is to see if they can cover the spread in one of these games. They’ve lost all three games ATS also.
The Magic have won seven straight playoff games, they’re the only team not to lose a playoff contest this year. Surely they would like to close this one and hope the Celtics and Cavaliers go the distance.
Joe, you ought to be embarrassed
Joe Johnson was.
Johnson shot 3-of-15 in Saturday’s mess. In a series that was supposed to be competitive, the Hawks haven’t even shown up. They shot 35 percent from the floor in Saturday’s 105-75 loss and watched the Magic do whatever they wanted on the other end of the court. Ten Orlando players scored. It shot 50 percent and out-rebounded Atlanta 51-34.
It was the Hawks’ worst home loss of the season and their worst home playoff loss in franchise history.
Johnson is eyeing a big payday after the season but his certainly giving his agent ulcers with his postseason performance.
Hawks coach Mike Woodson is in the same predicament. He is in the final year, perhaps final game of a two-year contract.
Comeback kids?
While it would take an act of God or congress to revive the Hawks in the series, Atlanta should be able to make things interesting in Game 4.
After all, the Hawks were 34-7 at home in the regular season and lost two straight on its homecourt only once - the second game of that skid came in overtime against the Knicks on New Year’s Day .
The Hawks have won 72 percent of their games following a loss and now they’ve lost three straight.
Home ain’t so sweet after all
If the Hawks don’t come out of the blocks on fire Monday, the fans are poised to turn on them.
Homecourt could turn into a disadvantage Monday. The few fans who stayed until the end of Saturday’s game booed the Hawks steadily.
That didn’t seem to bother Johnson, who said after the game he could care less if they showed up at all. He’ll certainly be a target of their wrath if Atlanta trails early
Trend setting
-Seven of the past eight games in this series have gone under.
-The Magic has won 13 straight games now, counting the regular season. They’ve outscored the Hawks in 11-of-12 quarters in this series.
-The Magic have won ATS in nine of their last 10 games.
-The Magic is 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 games
-The Magic haven’t lost since April 2.
-The Magic have won nine of the last 10 games in this series.
-Two of the three games in this series have gone under the total.
-Five of the last six Atlanta games have gone under the total. On the season, Atlanta games went over 47 times.
NBA PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Orlando (7-0 SU, 6-1 ATS) at Atlanta (4-6 SU and ATS)
The Magic look to complete a four-game sweep of the Hawks when the Southeast Division rivals meet for Game 4 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinal series inside Philips Arena.
Orlando’s domination of this series continued Saturday with a 105-75 road win as 2½-point favorite. The Magic shot 50.7 percent from the field and held the Hawks to 34.9 percent shooting, and Orlando also had a whopping 51-24 rebounding edge. All-Star center Dwight Howard led the way with 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Rashard Lewis added 22 points as five Magic players reached double digits in points.
Jamal Crawford (22 points), Josh Smith (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Al Horford (11 points, eight rebounds) were the only Hawks who showed up in Game 3. The trio combined to make 18 of 43 field goals (41.8 percent), while the rest of the team was 11-for-40 (27.5 percent).
Orlando has now won 13 games in a row dating to the regular season (12-1 ATS), including seven straight postseason victories (6-1 ATS). The Magic’s average margin of victory in the playoffs is 17.7 points per game, including wins over Atlanta of 43, 14 and 30 points.
Orlando has won and covered in nine of the last 10 meetings with Atlanta dating to January 2009, going 6-1 SU and ATS this year. Additionally, the Magic are 5-1 ATS in their last five trips to Atlanta, and the favorite has cashed in six straight in this rivalry. Also, the SU winner has covered the spread in 20 straight Hawks-Magic battles, and the winner is on a huge 25-0-1 ATS surge in Atlanta’s last 26 playoff games.
The Magic are 28-16 (25-18-1 ATS) on the highway this season and have won 11 of their last 12 away from home (9-3-1 ATS), going 3-0 SU and ATS in the playoffs. Despite the Game 3 debacle, Atlanta has been superb at home this season at 37-9 (28-18 ATS), averaging 103.7 ppg while allowing just 95.1. The Hawks went 3-1 SU and ATS at Philips Arena in the opening round against Milwaukee.
Orlando is on a plethora of positive ATS runs, including 22-7-1 overall (12-1 last 13), 5-0 on the road, 4-0 on Monday, 39-18-1 against Southeast Division teams, 22-5-1 as a favorite, 14-3 as a road favorite, 7-0-1 after getting one day off and 5-0 in conference semifinal action. Atlanta, swept out of the conference semifinals a season ago by the Cavs (0-3-1 ATS), has cashed in four of six home games, but it is otherwise on pointspread skids of 2-6 overall, 2-7 after a non-cover, 2-9 against Southeast Division teams, 1-7 after a straight-up loss and 0-6-1 in conference semifinal action.
The Magic have topped the total in seven of 12 after a spread-cover, but they are on “under” streaks of 53-23-1 after one day off, 6-2-1 as a playoff favorite, 7-1 against winning teams and 6-1 in conference semifinal action. Atlanta carries “over” trends of 20-9 after a non-cover and 8-3 as an underdog, but it is on “under” streaks of 5-1 overall, 5-1 at home, 8-3 after a straight-up loss, 9-3 as a playoff underdog and 7-1 against teams with a winning record.
In head-to-head action between these rivals, the under has been the play in seven of eight overall, seven of nine in Georgia and two of three in this series.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ORLANDO and UNDER
WESTERN CONFERENCE
L.A. Lakers (6-2, 3-5 ATS) at Utah (4-4 SU, 6-2 ATS)
The defending NBA champion Lakers will try to sweep the Jazz out of the playoffs when this best-of-7 Western Conference semifinal series resumes inside EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.
Los Angeles stole Game 3 on Saturday, rallying for a 111-110 victory as a 4½-point underdog, as Utah point-guard Deron Williams missed a potential game-winning jumper and a follow-up tip-in rimmed out at the buzzer. The Lakers’ used an 8-2 run in the final minute to overcome a five-point deficit, and the surge was keyed by three-pointers from Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, who finished with 35 and 20 points, respectively. Pau Gasol chipped in with 14 points and 17 rebounds and Ron Artest had his best offensive performance of the playoffs with 20 points.
Williams finished with 28 points in defeat, and Kyle Korver chipped in 23 for the Jazz, who lost despite shooting 48.1 percent overall and 45.5 percent from three-point land (10-for-22). Utah also had 10 more points from the free-throw line and held a 42-39 rebounding edge after getting out-boarded 100-79 in the first two games.
The Jazz and Lakers met in the first round of the postseason last year with Los Angeles prevailing in five games (2-3 ATS) en route to the NBA title. Additionally, the Lakers won a six-game second-round playoff series from Utah two years ago. This year, L.A. took three of the four regular-season meetings (SU and ATS), and split two games in Utah.
Overall, Los Angeles is on a 21-6 roll against the Jazz overall (17-9-1 ATS).
The Lakers are 25-20 (19-25-1 ATS) on the road this season, but they’ve dropped six of their last nine (SU and ATS) overall on the highway, including going 1-2 SU and ATS in Oklahoma City in the opening round. Conversely, the Jazz have dominated in front of the home fans, winning 35 of 45 games (29-14-2 ATS) this season. Despite Saturday’s setback, the Jazz have won 13 of 15 in Salt Lake City (11-4 ATS), going 3-0 SU and ATS in three first-round home games against Denver.
Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last five overall and 6-2 ATS in its last eight as a playoff ‘dog, but it is still on negative ATS streaks of 1-8-1 on Monday, 3-6 on the road, 3-8 after a straight-up win and 2-11 after a spread-cover. The Jazz are on a plethora of positive ATS runs, including 36-18-3 overall, 37-16-2 as a favorite, 18-7-2 as a home favorite, 21-8 after a straight-up loss, 27-11 on Monday and 4-2-1 as a playoff favorite.
The Lakers have topped the total in six of seven overall, four straight after just one day off, four of five on the road, four of five after a straight-up win and six of seven against Western Conference foes, but they are on “under” streaks of 12-5 as a road ‘dog and 7-3 against winning teams. On the opposite side, Utah has stayed below the posted number in 11 of 16 at home against teams with winning road records and seven of 10 against winning teams, but it is on “over” runs of 6-0 overall, 7-0 after a straight-up loss, 4-1 as a playoff favorite and 6-0 in conference semifinal action.
In this rivalry, the over has cashed in all three games of this playoff series, which comes on the heels of a 7-0 “under” run in this rivalry. The under is still 4-1 in the last five battles in Utah.
ATS ADVANTAGE: L.A. LAKERS
NBA Playoff RoundUp For 5/10
By Dan Bebe
Magic @ Hawks - Orlando by 5.5 with a total of 193.5. This series has redefined "ugly," and I almost don't know what to say about the Hawks. They looked horrible, and I'm honestly not surprised to see this line as high as it is. This is hugely inflated on the Magic's side, with books knowing that without giving the Hawks all kinds of insane value (and 5.5 points at home in the 2nd Round of the Playoffs is a ton of points), they just wouldn't get any money on Atlanta. So, the question is, can the Hawks ever really get anything going against the Magic? I mean, this line is absolutely begging someone to get on the Hawks and take those points, but I don't know if there's a tougher wager to make over the past 6 months. Atlanta has lost the 3 games of this series by over 80 points, combined, so they're not even staying close. They made some shots in the first half of game 2, but then went into the same old stagnant offense, terrible body language, and got creamed every moment since. Obviously, off a 30-point home loss, the value is on the Atlanta side, but I can't really get behind that type of selection. If anything, this might be a game where we want to look more at the total. The last one hit just 180 in a relatively slow-paced game, where, once again, the Hawks clanked their way to a 35% shooting night, and the Magic were up over 50%. What we saw in the clincher against the Bobcats was that the Magic's defense wasn't quite as strong, and I wonder if that doesn't mean we're due for one to creep up Over the total. Absolutely no leans on the side yet, slight lean to the Over, but with the Hawks' body language, this game might be called for cab out of town.
Lakers @ Jazz - Utah by 2.5 with a total of 205.5. You've really got to feel for the Jazz after that game three loss. They didn't so much get outplayed by the Lakers, but just ended up on the wrong end of an Artest/Odom/Fisher three-point barrage. Considering Ron-Ron was shooting 10% from beyond the arc, then cracked off a 4-of-5 night going into the final few minutes, the Jazz just had to feel cursed. But it is what it is, and after going up by 4 points in the late stages, the Lakers just splashed through a few more buckets, and suddenly Utah was fouling late. It's really remarkable how all of these road teams have come in and crushed hopes in game three, all across the Playoffs, but as we talked about before, oddsmakers aren't foolish. They set lines in a particular way for a reason, and they knew Utah was going to bring a big-time effort. I think the step-up performances from just about every Lakers guard surprised sharps and oddsmakers alike, and this line, with the Jazz still favored, has that same ring to it. Kobe is clearly awake, and it seems like his injuries are getting better with each passing day. The Jazz don't want to get swept, but no one does. This line is a bit of a coin-flip, I think. It's tough to get up for a game when you know your shot of coming back in a series is about as close to zero as possible, but we saw Wade lead the Heat to an impressive "pride" win. You guys can tell when I'm beating around the bush, though: no lean on the side, lean to the Under on the total - I just can't see this type of outside shooting from both teams. The Lakers are going to want to make sure Bynum gets more involved, and they'll try to make this one a little uglier than the last one.
Inside the Paint - Monday
By Chris David
The Magic and Lakers squared off in last year’s NBA Finals, with Los Angeles capturing the championship in six games. Both clubs were expected to contend again this postseason and the two teams haven’t strayed off the path. Tonight, Orlando and Los Angeles have the opportunity to reach the conference finals by earning road victories at Atlanta and Utah respectively. Can the Hawks and Jazz show some pride and salvage wins on their homecourt?
This year’s postseason has featured three teams that have faced 0-3 deficits and Miami was the only team to force a Game 5, which happened in the first round against Boston. The Heat’s victory was quickly forgotten after the Celtics took care of business in the very next game. While the Heat stayed alive, Charlotte and San Antonio were both swept in Game 4’s on their homecourt to Orlando and Phoenix respectively.
We looked at similar situations in the last five playoffs and things haven't gone well for teams trailing. Going back to 2005, there have been 15 best-of-seven series that watched a team build a commanding 3-0 lead. In the fourth installment, the team trailing has gone 4-11 straight up, which means the broom gets busted out often. When you add the 1-2 results this season, the number is up to 5-13 or 28%. Including the Heat, the other four teams that showed some guts in the last six playoffs are below:
2009 – Dallas 119 Denver 117 (Mavs were blown out in Game 5)
2008 – Phoenix 105 San Antonio 86 (Suns lost Game 5)
2007 – Chicago 102 Detroit 87 (Bulls actually won Game 6 too)
2005 – Phoenix 111 San Antonio 106 (Suns lost Game 5)
Let’s take a quick look at the two games tonight, which will be featured on TNT.
**Orlando at Atlanta**
Oddsmakers opened Orlando as a five-point road favorite for Game 4 and the number was quickly bet up to six and is sitting at 6 ½ at a few offshore outfits. After watching the Magic win and cover the first three games of this series by double digits, you could make a case that the line is too low, especially when you look at Orlando’s body of work in the postseason so far. Stan Van Gundy and his troops have been a covering machine this postseason, going 7-0 SU and ATS behind a defense that hasn’t allowed over 100 points in any of the seven games.
On Saturday evening, the Magic took the heart out of Atlanta with an easy 20-point (105-75) win. Orlando jumped out to a 52-33 lead at the break and never looked back as the home locals deservingly booed the Hawks off the court.
Can Atlanta’s head coach Mike Woodson put some fire into his club or is this series over? VegasInsider.com handicapper Brian Edwards doesn’t believe so. “You can put a fork in this team and I’m not just talking about for this series. GM Rick Sund had to be mortified by the lack of effort and intensity in Game 3. Josh Smith’s body language was completely unacceptable and I’m not talking about when Atlanta fell down by double digits. I’m talking about from the first minute of the game. Joe Johnson has been atrocious throughout the playoffs and that was most evident in Saturday’s blowout loss. Johnson was 0-for-5 in the first quarter, 1-for-9 at halftime and 3-for-15 for the game. And then afterward, he said he “could care less if the fans show up.” No wonder this team’s chemistry has been horrible the last couple of weeks and the leadership has been non-existent,” said Edwards.
Johnson has been mentioned as a franchise player who could earn a maximum deal in the offseason but you wonder is some teams will be reluctant to pay a player who averaged just 12.3 points on 29 percent shooting against the Magic in this series.
Including this best-of-seven battle, the Magic have now won nine of the past 11 encounters (9-2 ATS) against the Hawks over the last two seasons. And the one victory this year for Atlanta came on a buzzer beater dunk by Josh Smith at home.
During this same stretch, the ‘under’ has gone 8-3 and the total has ranged anywhere from 191 to 198. The total for Game 4 is hovering between 193 and 194 points.
If necessary, Game 5 will be on Wednesday from Orlando.
**L.A. Lakers at Utah**
The Lakers owned a 2-0 lead over Oklahoma City in the first round but that effort was dismissed when the Thunder locked up the series with two wins at home. Fortunately, Los Angeles won the next two games and advanced to the conference semifinals against Utah.
Similar to the opening round, Los Angeles took the first two games at home against the Jazz. Rather than sitting back, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers picked up the heat and earned an impressive 111-110 win over the Jazz in Game 3 on Saturday.
The setback for Utah was another disappointing outcome for Jerry Sloan’s team since they had plenty of opportunities to win but the shots just didn’t fall. While the Jazz missed, the Lakers made, including a huge 3-pointer by Derek Fisher that gave the club a 109-108 lead late in the game. Fisher, Bryant and Ron Artest had their best shooting performance of the series in Game 3 by combining for 13 bombs from 3-point land.
In case you’re wondering, 1989 was the last time Utah was swept, as Golden State did the honors 3-0 in the opening round behind Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond. However, keep in mind that the Jazz has never been swept in a best-of-seven series.
Los Angeles has gone 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS versus Utah this season, which includes a 2-1 mark at Salt Lake City.
Beating the Jazz in the playoffs has become the norm for the Lakers, since they did so last year with a 4-1 victory and 4-2 during the 2008 postseason. Perhaps 4-0 makes sense this year, right?
Prior to the first three games of this series, the ‘under’ had gone 7-0 in the previous head-to-head encounters between the Jazz and Lakers. The pendulum has swung to the ‘over’ in this second round affair, with all three battles cashing tickets. Oddsmakers have bumped it up to 207 from 203, which could be a little inflated for what could be another tight contest.
vegasinsider.com
NBA News and Notes
Question in this game is will Hawks compete, after losing the first three games in series by 43-14-30 points? Orlando won six of seven games vs Hawks this year, with no losses by less than 14 points. Magic are 7-0 in playoffs, with only one of the wins by less than eight points. Johnson was 3-15 from floor in Game 3, while starting frontcourt for Magic was 19-30 (63.3%). Johnson's ripping home crowd doesn't help Hawks any.
Lakers won six of seven vs Utah this season; all three series games went over the total. Jazz played hearts out in Game 3 but came up one point short, as Matthews' deficiency as a shooter (2-11, 0-6 from arc) proved costly. Korver scored 23 points on 10 shots to keep Utah in it. Jazz are 3-1 at home in playoffs; Lakers 2-2 on road. Eevery LA starter other than Bynum made at least half his shots in Game 3 win.
Tips and Trends
Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks
Magic (-5.5, O/U 193): Orlando is easily the most dominant team in the playoffs, as they are beating a good Atlanta team by an average of 29 PTS in this series. Orlando had 5 players score in double figures in Game 3, as they shot an efficient 50% from the field as a team. C Dwight Howard had another great game, as he had 21 PTS and 15 rebounds in Game 3. Orlando has yet to lose in the postseason, and if recent form is any indication they might not lose at all. Orlando has been dominant in nearly every game they've played during the playoffs. The Magic haven't lost in over a month, April 2nd to San Antonio to be exact. The Magic have won all 13 of their games since then, and appear to be on a mission for a return trip to the NBA Finals. Orlando has been so consistent this season, as it's been 4 months since the Magic lost consecutive games. Orlando is 66-23 SU and 52-35-2 ATS overall this season. The Magic are 28-16 SU and 24-17-3 ATS in road contests this season. The Magic are 9-5 ATS as a road favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season.
Magic is 6-0 ATS last 6 games vs. a team with a winning SU record.
Under is 9-3 last 12 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Key Injuries - None.
PROJECTED SCORE: 106 (OVER - Total of the Day)
Hawks: Atlanta is 48 minutes away from vacation time, as they are down 3-0 to the Magic. The Hawks really need to win a few games to avoid the possibility of their team being broken up in the offseason. Coach Woodson and G Joe Johnson potentially will be involved in their final game as Hawks today. Atlanta wants to avoid being swept out of the 2nd Round for the 2nd year in a row. Atlanta only scored 75 PTS in Game 3, ultimately losing by 30 PTS. Johnson only scored 8 PTS in Game 3, as he was completely non-existent on the floor. Atlanta shot worse than 35%, and only had 9 assists as a team in Game 3. The Hawks are 57-35 SU and 52-40 ATS overall this season. Atlanta is 37-9 SU and 28-18 ATS in home games this season. The Hawks are 8-4 ATS after losing a game by double figures this year. Atlanta is also 8-2 ATS after scoring 85 PTS or fewer in their previous game.
Hawks are 0-5 ATS last 5 games as an underdog.
Under is 5-0 last 5 games as a home underdog.
Key Injuries - None.
PROJECTED SCORE: 99
Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz
Lakers: Los Angeles is 1 win away from joining the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers could be extra motivated tonight, after watching the Suns sweep the Spurs and earn some potential rest depending on how many games this series goes. G Kobe Bryant has stated that the Lakers killer instinct is back after their grueling series with the Thunder. F Pau Gasol and C Andrew Bynum are averaging more than 32 PTS and 21 RPG combined during the playoffs. This duo really helps Bryant offensively, as Bryant has other capable scorers he can depend on. Bryant is averaging more than 26 PPG so far in the post-season. The Lakers are 25-20 SU and 20-24-1 ATS on the road this season. Los Angeles is 6-8 ATS as the listed underdog this season, including 3-7 ATS as a road underdog of 3 PTS or fewer. The Lakers are also 13-17 ATS in games after they've had 3 or more consecutive SU wins.
Lakers are 2-6 ATS last 8 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Under is 12-5 in Lakers last 17 games as a road underdog.
Key Injuries - G Sasha Vujacic (ankle) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 97
Jazz (-2.5, O/U 207): Utah has played the Lakers tough in all three games this series, yet have come away with nothing. The Jazz have lost all 3 games thus far by a combined 14 PTS, proving just how close this series has truly been. The Jazz simply need to get over the hump, and they're hoping that facing elimination will do the trick. PG Deron Williams continues to be dynamic in the playoffs, as he's leading the team with 25 PPG and more than 10 APG. F Andrei Kirilenko is back for Utah, as he played a solid 17 minutes in Game 3. Kirilenko had 8 PTS and 6 rebounds while playing sound defense against the Lakers. G Kyle Korver is certain to get more playing time after scoring 23 PTS on 9 of 10 shooting in Game 3. Utah is 35-10 SU and 29-14-1 ATS in home games this season. The Jazz are 5-1 ATS as a home favorite of 3 PTS or fewer this season. Utah is 20-7 ATS after allowing their opponent to score 105 PTS in their previous game.
Jazz are 20-6 ATS last 26 games following an ATS loss.
Over is 7-0 last 7 games following a SU loss.
Key Injuries - None.
PROJECTED SCORE: 108 (Side of the Day)