Bet on Basketball

The Detroit Pistons are traveling to Orlando tonight to meet with the Magic after a remarkable victory over Dallas, continuing their winning trend. The Detroit/Dallas game was low scoring, with the Pistons stopping the Dallas main game players. On the other hand, the Magic are doing it tough in defense at the moment despite great efforts by Dwight Howard, a promising nominee for the most valuable player of the year. The Magic lost to Indiana by 14 points 2 days ago, lacking the ability to score and this is likely to continue against a tired but strong team.  This game seems to be a close one, so Detroit +4.5 handicap is the pick for 4 units.

The Indiana Pacers are returning home after a valuable win against the Magic two nights ago, and they look to get an easy win over the Portland Trail Blazers to continue their winning streak. Having been able to force Orlando to take uncomfortable shots on Wednesday night, the Pacers indicated they can step up in all areas of defense when motivated to do so. On the other side of the court is a team with pretty much only one genuine player: Zach Randolph. Portland, against a moderate defensive team like Milwaukee, were able to score 94 points including the overtime period, with signs of having difficulty sending the ball to the opposite basket. They must twice as hard as they did against the Bucks since Indiana defense is not a child’s toy. The pick for this game is Under 188.5 for 4 units.

The Los Angeles Clippers are leaving home for San Antonio to challenge the Spurs, who beat Charlotte in an away game two nights ago after showing excellent team defense, led by Tim Duncan, the great power forward in the league. Solid defense means stopping the opponent’s players on the court legally, and the Spurs are probably the best for that. However, the Clippers maintain good morale after beating Miami on Tuesday night in a come from behind victory. Elton Brand and Chris Kaman are helping each other in the lane, so it may be somewhat difficult for the San Antonio guards to penetrate into the paint of the Clippers. Also, the away team does have one of the best guards in the league. Livingston is a top shelf player, but he may take some responsibility to lead his team against Tony Parker’s play making role in the Spurs. The Clippers must force the game until the dead minutes, so Los Angeles +8.5 is the pick for 4 units.