NBA Game of the Night – Celtics at Magic

Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic 8:00 ET

The National Basketball Association is at the half-way point of the season, and tonight’s NBA betting affair will allow BetOnline Sportsbook customers another chance to boost their bankrolls for Super Bowl XLIII when the Boston Celtics (35-9, 24-20 ATS) head to beautiful Orlando to do battle with the Magic (33-8, 28-12-1 ATS) in the first leg of TNT’s Thursday night doubleheader. The Celtics took the Magic out 107-88 in Beantown as 8.5-point favorites in their one and only meeting of the current season. Orlando is 5-4 ATS in the L/9 between these teams, and the home team has gone a stunning 21-6 ATS in the L/27 meetings. The host has also covered and won seven straight between these Eastern Conference giants, and eight of the L/10 match-ups have been decided by 10 points or less.

The C’s opened their brief two-game road trip up with a 98-83 win in Miami on Wednesday night. SG Ray Allen led the way with 27 points, but on a relatively off night by both SF Paul Pierce and PF Kevin Garnett, the hero was SG Eddie House who poured in 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. Boston shot a blistering 60% from beyond the arc and easily covered the sports betting line as 5.5-point road favorites. It was the sixth straight win and the fourth straight cover for the Celtics, who come into this showdown sporting a three-game ATS road winning streak. If Boston is going to prove victorious against the Magic, it’ll have to get better production from Pierce, Garnett, and PG Rajon Rondo.

They’ve got the best record in the NBA at 33-8 and their 28-12-1 ATS mark is the best in the land, but the Magic still have plenty to prove coming into this game. They’re coming off a brutal West Coast swing in which they cruised past all four opponents. Orlando has won seven straight games, and has covered the spread in six straight. Pro basketball bettors have benefited from Orlando’s offensive explosions of late, as it has averaged 114.3 points per game and has scored at least 105 points in each of its last six. As always, C Dwight Howard will play a prominent role in the outcome of the game. “Superman” leads the Magic in both points per game (20.2) and rebounds per game (14.1). Since the start of the ’07 season, Orlando’s been a golden goose for its NBA betting fanatics going a stunning 77-41-4 ATS, which equates to a cool 65.3% ATS success rate.

Oddsmakers installed the host Magic as five-point favorites and set the ‘total’ at 192 for tonight’s contest.

Expect to see another defensive battle between these two teams, as both rank in the Top-10 of the NBA in scoring defense. ‘Under’ bettors have cashed winning tickets in 22 of Boston’s L/29 road games, and eleven of its L/15 overall. Over the past two seasons, 56.5% of all Celtics games resulted in ‘unders’. The ‘Under’ is 7-1 ATS the L/8 times Orlando’s been tagged a home favorite, and 4 of the L/5 meetings between these teams in Orlando has failed to surpass the closing ‘total.’

The sparks should be flying in this one, as Eastern Conference supremacy is on the line! Before tuning in to TNT, place your basketball bets with BetOnline and grab your piece of the action!