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Nba Handicapping - May 04, 2010We took the cash last night with our lone playoffs pick, adding to our NBA playoffs run. We're now 34-19 (64%) for +37 unts over the last two and a half weeks. On today's NBA menu, a 5-unit play highlights our three-play card.
 Today's NBA Basketball Picks: The Magic will present a much stiffer test for Atlanta than did the Bucks. Orlando is 36-7 in this building this year, winning by over 11 points per game on average. When facing good three-point shooting teams like Orlando on the road (36%+ from beyond the arc), the Hawks lost 16 of their last 19 games this season. Utah was in a good position to steal game one and they still couldn't do it. This is just a bad matchup for them. Los Angeles has won 38 of 45 games here at Staples while Utah is a losing team on the road. Dating back to last season, the Jazz are just 12-39 on the road when facing a winning team. In the favorite role this season, LA is 53-15 straight-up. They are also 31-5 at home in the playoffs when leading a series. Put the Magic and Lakers together in a moneyline parlay at -170 odds.Game: Atlanta at Orlando (8:05 PM Eastern) Pick: 5 units on Orlando -9 (-110) (risk 5 to win 4.6) Pick: 2 units on First Half UNDER 97 -110 (risk 2 to win 1.8) The Atlanta Hawks will be thrown from the frying pan and into the fryer as they open their series at Orlando in the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals. The Hawks needed seven games to get past the pesky Bucks, and have had a great deal of problems vs. Orlando. The two games played here this season saw the Hawks bow by 18 and 32 points, and were never in either game. The Magic have really had it rolling at home where they are 15-1 in their last 16 here. It isn't just the winning it is the scary margins they have been winning by, with five of the 15 by 26 points or more, and 12 of the 15 by 9+. The Hawks’ problems vs. the Magic have been trying to get good looks. The Hawks, in four games vs. the Magic this season scored a high of 86 and averaged just 82.3 points per game. The noose gets tighter tonight as I expect the Magic to come out with a swarming defense to impose their will, and break the Hawks’ spirit early. The Magic held the Bobcats to just 41 first-half points on average in round one. The Magic are 26-17 UNDER in the first-half this season when facing a winning team. That includes an 8-1 UNDER mark in their last nine vs. teams at .600 to .700. In playoff games, Stan Van Gundy led teams are 45-21 UNDER in the first half. That includes an 18-4 mark in second-round games. I like Orlando to win big and for this game to go UNDER in the first half.Game: Utah at Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 PM Eastern) Pick: 4 units on Game Total OVER 199.5 -110 (risk 4 to win 3.6) The Jazz’s offense was slowed a bit by the Lakers but not much. This is a team that has been scoring at the rate of Phoenix and Denver through the second half of the season. They are producing 109 points per game in the playoffs, and that is in line with how they finished the second half. The Lakers, after a slow offensive start at home vs. the Thunder, have now produced 111 and 104 in their last two here. The Jazz have been a potent OVER team when posted as a dog, where they are now 40-19-1 to the OVER in their last 60 as a dog. The last 18 played between these clubs in Los Angeles have seen the OVER ring the bell to a 13-5 mark. I like the OVER in this one. NBA Basketball Picks Resources:
Check out the last five NBA Basketball Picks Newsletters: NBA-Basketball-Picks-May-03-2010 NBA-Basketball-Picks-May-01-2010 NBA-Basketball-Picks-April-30-2010 NBA-Basketball-Picks-April-29-2010 NBA-Basketball-Picks-April-28-2010 |
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