NBA Sports Wagering Jan 24 – Pacers versus Magic

Written By: writer on January 26, 2012 2 Comments

Arriving off of a strong – but losing – playoff effort last year versus the Chicago Bulls, the Indiana Pacers came roaring back to start off the 2011-2012 year. The team is going through its best early record in the previous eight years, but are still troubled versus the more proficient squads in the league. Whereas they are 11-4 to date, just 4 of those victories are versus squads with records above .500.

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With the Orlando Magic arriving to visit on Tuesday, January 24, the Pacers will have a better challenge on their hands, and they will need the home court advantage tonight. Indiana is unbeaten at home this year and will look to stretch out their record to 6-0. If they are able to get a win, it will likely be the 1st time the team has started off a year with 6 consecutive home victories since the 2002-2003 year.

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But the Magic are a fearsome enemy who are 11-5 on the year to date. And recent history is most on Orlando’s side. The Magic have defeated the Pacers in Indiana in each one of the previous 3 bouts between the two. In fact, Orlando has won these competitions on the road in Indianapolis by typically 13 points. The most recent competition between the two was January 26, 2011.

The Pacers will also need to find a way to handle Magic celebrity Dwight Howard. Howard has directed the team to an 11-3 record over Indiana, and he has put up double-doubles in all of these contests. Despite the challenges ahead for the Pacers, the sportsbook shows them as the -3 faves to beat the Magic. The total is set at 182.5.

Both squads come into this match with a 7-3 record over their last ten contests. The Pacers have a 5-0 home record to date, while the Magic are 5-3 on the road. Look for Orlando to make a unexpectedly strong showing after their devastating 87-56 loss to the Celtics a couple of days ago.