NBA Betting Parlay – Howard, Magic, Look to Keep Hope Alive Against Celtics in Game Five

The Orlando Magic will be looking to ‘keep hope alive’ and extend their season for at least one more game when they host Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Finals series at Amway Arena tonight at 8:30 PM ET.

Wednesday, May 26, 8:30 PM ET
NBA Betting Odds
Orlando Magic -3.5
(O/U) 186

TV: ESPN
Radio: 211 XM, 212 XM

Orlando Magic (9-3 SU, 8-4 ATS, 3-9 O/U)
Boston Celtics (11-4 SU, 11-4 ATS, 7-8 O/U)

Dwight Howard scored a game-high 32 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and added four blocked shots to lead Orlando to a thrilling 96-92 win over the Celtics in Game 4 on Monday night.

Orlando covered the NBA betting line as a 7-point road underdog while the final score played Over the 188-point O/U total.

Before I break down this Game 5 matchup for pro basketball betting buffs everywhere, let’s take a look at the key head-to-head trends surrounding tonight’s showdown.

• Celtics are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Orlando.
• Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Orlando.
• Under is 10-2 in the last 12 meetings.
• Celtics are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
• Underdog is 8-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings.
• Road team is 8-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings.

Orlando 411
Magic are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 playoff games as a favorite.
Magic are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 home games.

Jameer Nelson added 23 points and nine assists and three other players reached double figures in scoring for the Magic who now trail 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Boston 411
Celtics are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games.
Celtics are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.
Celtics are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. NBA Southeast.

Paul Pierce scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed 11 boards for Boston while Ray Allen added 22 points for the Celtics in a losing effort.

Analysis: Well, it’s about time the Orlando Magic finally showed up! After taking three consecutive beat-downs from the Celtics in emphatic fashion, Orlando came to play in Game 4 and narrowly got the win thanks to Jameer Nelson’s overtime heroics.

Tonight, the Magic won’t need those same heroics as they hand the Celtics their own convincing loss. While Orlando looked really bad in games 1-3, the fact of the matter is that Orlando has a plethora of competent players that can put the ball in the hole almost at will.

I think Orlando will come out tonight and get right at the Celtics while playing even better than they did in Game 4.

I know nearly every key head-to-head trend is pointing toward a Boston Celtics ATS victory at the very least, but I like the Magic to buck those trends and nab the SU and ATS victory tonight.

Orlando has gone a consistent 7-2 ATS in their last nine playoff games as a favorite and 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 home games overall and are my pick to hand the Celtics a solid loss while cover the NBA point spread as a slight home favorite.

I also like the Under to play out again after the Over cashed in for pro basketball gamblers in Game 4. The Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings between these rivals in Orlando and an even more consistent 10-2 in the last 12 meetings.

Expert NBA Picks: Orlando -3.5 Points/Under 186 Total Points