ORLANDO -5 over Milwaukee
The surging Orlando Magic try to increase their lead over the eighth-place Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference playoff race tonight when they meet at the TD Waterhouse Centre. The Magic completed a 2-1 road trip with a 104-89 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday, have won six of their last seven games after losing six of their previous seven, and have moved one-half game ahead of the Bucks and into seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, Milwaukee opened a three-game road trip with a 100-91 victory over the Miami Heat last night, and have rebounded from a three-game losing streak with consecutive victories to move one game ahead of the ninth-place Washington Wizards.
These teams have already met twice this season. The Magic claimed a 100-90 win in Milwaukee back on November 2 before suffering a 108-103 home loss on December 23. It'll be very tough for the Bucks to beat the Magic twice in a row in Orlando, as they are 0-4 ATS as a road dog vs. foes looking to avenge an earlier home defeat. The Magic, on the other hand, are a solid 8-1 ATS hosting such meetings. Since the start of last season, the Bucks are 0-4 ATS as a road dog of 5+ points off a road victory. Over the past 7+ seasons of research, we note they are a perfectly awful 0-6 ATS on the road when they and their current opponent are playing off road wins, while their foe this evening is 9-3 ATS hosting such games.
Orlando is playing with supreme confidence right now, and should be ready for a playoff-type game here. After playing the Bulls, whom they normally dominate, the Magic are a super 9-0 ATS, smashing the spread by an average of 11 points a game. We do expect Milwaukee to stay in this game most of the way, but the will likely fade on their tired legs against a rested Orlando crew.
PROJECTED FINAL SCORE: ORLANDO 107 MILWAUKEE 99