NBA’s Best go Head to Head

Only two games grace the NBA betting schedule on Thursday night. The Thursday night doubleheader begins with two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference facing off when Boston takes on Orlando, while in the late night matchup the Lakers host Washington.

The Celtics and Magic are in a dogfight with Cleveland for top spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston had won five straight before facing Miami on Wednesday night. On Monday night Boston steamrolled Phoenix 104-87 as an 8-point favorite on the NBA odds. Rajon Rondo led Boston with 23 points and seven assists, while Ray Allen poured in 20 points.

The Magic have won seven in a row and have only lost once so far in the month of January. Orlando has been off since Saturday when they upset Denver 106-88 as a 1.5-point road underdog. Hedo Turkoglu scored a season-high 31 points for the Magic, while Rashard Lewis and Jameer Lewis each netted 23 points. Dwight Howard had a huge night on the glass with 20 rebounds to go along with 14 points.

The Celtics and Magic met up in December in Boston when the Celtics slammed the Magic 107-88 as an 8.5-point favorite. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24 points and Rashard Lewis scored a game-high 30 points for Orlando. The Magic should have better luck versus the Celtics at home in Orlando where they have won six straight versus Boston at Amway Arena.

The Lakers play their third game in four nights on Thursday after facing the Clippers on Wednesday. On Monday Los Angeles hosted Cleveland in what was supposed to be a tough matchup. Instead they routed the Cavaliers 105-88 as a 5-point favorite. Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 22 points and 12 rebounds and Kobe Bryant also had a double-double with 20 points and 12 assists.

The Wizards had only one win in their last eight games before taking on Sacramento Wednesday night. Washington lost to Golden State 119-98 as a 4.5-point underdog Monday night despite Caron Butler, Andray Blatche and Antawn Jamison all scoring 22 points.

The last time Washington and Los Angeles met up in December the Lakers were supposed to throttle the Wizards as a 12-point favorite, but they barely escaped with a 106-104 win. The Lakers nearly blew a 20 point lead, but Butler’s attempt at a game-winning three-pointer late in the fourth quarter bounced off the rim. Bryant ended up leading the Lakers with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Butler scored a game-high 26 points for Washington.