Most sports betting players have heard of the Dwight Howard-to-Los Angeles rumors, and the Lakers are reportedly on his list of teams if Orlando decides to trade their superstar center. He’ll get a look at the Lakers when they come to town on Friday night, but the Lakers will be coming off an exhausting game against the favorites to win the championship, so lean towards the team that is at home after a day off.
What: NBA Betting
When: Friday, January 20th, 8:00 PM ET
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
Pick: Orlando Magic
Why Bet On Los Angeles Lakers (10-5 SU, 7-8 ATS, 1-4 ATS road)
This will be the second half of a back-to-back for the Lakers, who defeated Dallas 73-70 on Monday night at home to earn a small measure of revenge for their sweep at the hands of the eventual NBA champions. The Lakers needed a three-pointer from Derek Fisher with 3.1 seconds left on the clock to avoid overtime, and even though Fisher is a sieve on defense and doesn’t offer much in the way of points, he has always had a knack of hitting big shots at the right time. Kobe Bryant had his four-game streak of 40 points or more snapped as he scored just 14 points on 7-of-22 shooting, but the Lakers got a great game from center Andrew Bynum, who notched 17 points and 15 rebounds. The Los Angeles defense swarmed Dallas, harassing the Mavericks into a 35% shooting night from the field and 15 turnovers, which made up for the Lakers shooting 38.2.
However, as we said the Lakers will be playing for the second straight night, and their opponents on Thursday will be Miami, so it’ll be interesting to see how fatigue plays a factor because the Heat will give the Lakers all they can handle and more. Los Angeles has no major injuries, although NBA betting players should always be on the lookout for news on Bryant (wrist). However, in this game the Lakers should try to go to Bynum as much as possible. He should be motivated as the Lakers are apparently still in the hunt to land Dwight Howard, and a meeting with “Superman” should have Bynum ready to go on Friday night.
Why Bet On Orlando Magic (10-3 SU, 8-5 ATS, 3-3 ATS home)
The Magic got a massive night from their big man in a 96-89 win over Charlotte on Tuesday, their second in a three-games-in-three-nights stretch, as Howard racked up 25 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Jameer Nelson was next with 17 points for the Magic, who had a 42-36 edge on the glass and they outscored the Bobcats 50-40 in the paint. The Magic also got 13 points off the bench from Von Wafer, and Orlando needs their second unit to step up and make some shots when Howard and company are taking a breather. They also made up for a subpar night from Ryan Anderson, who had 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting, and he hit just two of his nine three-point attempts. Anderson has to be in the running for Most Improved Player in the early part of the season, but he struggled in this game and had to depend on his teammates to pick up the slack.
The bench also had to step up in the absence of Jason Richardson (knee), who is being projected to come back to the lineup for this game, but you never know, so check his status. The major storyline coming into this game will be Howard, but the Magic have to hit the glass as a team; they’re just 21st in the league in that category, while the Lakers are first and that means Los Angeles has a chance to pick up some second-chance points due to offensive rebounding. Anderson has to battle with Pau Gasol to help out Howard, as does Hedo Turkoglu and even Nelson.
How It Will Play Out
Orlando should be the NBA betting favorites at home, where they are 3-2 SU and 1-4 ATS in their last five meetings with the Lakers, with the last four games coming in under the posted total. The Magic have been stellar at Amway Center this season, and they get a bit of a break on Friday night thanks to the schedule. They have Thursday off and even though they play Wednesday against San Antonio, that game is at home as well, so Orlando players could at least sleep in their own beds.
The Lakers, meanwhile, will be on the road on a different coast, and they’re going to expel a lot of energy on Thursday night in a nationally-televised showdown with Miami. Bryant will show up, as will Bynum (and we’re not even sure about that because of his knees), but what about the rest of the team? Take Orlando at home in your online betting picks on Friday.
Lakers Magic Betting Pick: Orlando Magic