Does Phoenix Have the Magic in Orlando?

The Phoenix Suns will try to turn their victory over the Los Angeles Lakers this past Sunday into a winning streak when they travel to Orlando to take on the Magic. Phoenix was sensational in beating the Lakers on Sunday. They did it primarily by putting the rock into the hands of Leandro Barbosa and Shaquille O’Neal. It was a rare against the spread win as the Suns are only 23-33-2 ATS. They have an 11-16-1 ATS record in away games. Their straight-up record isn’t all that great either at 34 and 25 although they have been winning more games recently with Alvin Gentry calling the shots from the bench.

The Orlando Magic is ranked high in the NBA Power Rankings for a reason. They have a fantastic straight-up record of 43 and 16. Their record ATS is one of the best in the NBA at 37-21-1 and their home against the spread record is 17 and 12.

The BetOnline Sportsbook hasn’t released a betting line on this game because there is a question as to whether Steven Nash is going to play or not.

Let’s take a look at my personal online betting line if Nash plays and if Nash doesn’t play.

With Steve Nash:

Phoenix Suns +4 ½ -110

Orlando Magic -4 ½ -110

Without Steve Nash:

Phoenix Suns +7 ½ -110

Orlando Magic -7 ½ -110

Now, lets take a look at a few wagering trends for this game.

The Phoenix Suns are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games versus a team with a winning record at home.

The Phoenix Suns are 2-6 against the spread in the last 8 games between these two teams.

The Orlando Magic is 1-6 against the spread in their last 7 games following a straight-up victory.

The Orlando Magic are 27 and 12 ATS in their last 39 games overall.

The Magic are better than the Suns. This is true even if Phoenix gets Steve Nash back. Orlando’s best point guard, Jameer Nelson, went down with a season ending injury but Orlando didn’t just sit on their asses. They went out and got a suitable replacement in Rafer Alston.

Alston is averaging over 11 points and 5 assists per game. With Superman Dwight Howard in the mix, the Magic haven’t really lost that much because of Nelson’s injury. They have dropped two out of their last four games, versus Detroit and Chicago, but expecting the Suns to go to Orlando and beat the Magic is just asking too much.

The key will be where the point spread ends up. If Phoenix is a favorite of +4 ½ or lower, then they are an easy bet against. If Phoenix is a bet of +7 ½ or higher, then NBA betting fans are going to have to make a hard decision.

My gut tells me that the Magic are a good bet either way. With or without Steve Nash, the Suns won’t be able to put two terrific games together back to back. Leandro Barbosa put up 22 points, Matt Barnes 26 and Shaquille O’Neal 33 versus the Lakers this past Sunday.

Those three won’t do that again and they won’t do it against Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis.

I’ll be making a wager on the Magic to cover in this game. As long as the betting line doesn’t approach double digits, that would be Orlando -10 or higher, then I’ll bet the Magic to cover.