There was no sports betting rabbit coming out of the hat for the Orlando Magic last Monday in Boston as they just never showed up and were crushed by 31 points despite Boston missing starters Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo as the Celts looked like champs and the Magic looked like chumps.
The final score was 87-56 and it wasn’t even that close and online sportsbook players need to pay attention to the residual results of such a beating.
Newly-activated Mickael Pietrus also did not play for Boston and although Marquis Daniels was banged up, he still tried but could only muster 8 points in 28 minutes.
For a team that is supposed to challenge for the Eastern title, Orlando was extremely disappointing and they have been a bad cover team so far this season. They only covered 8 of their first 16 games and were worse going under the totals number 11 of the 16.
That is what happens when a team relies on perimeter shooting to win. It’s just not easy to do consistently and win in this league especially as the season progresses and the real basketball approaches in the playoffs.
Not one Magic player was close to shooting 50% from the field Monday and the coveted Dwight Howard was just 4 for 15. How can a guy that big, talented and agile only make 4 shots?
Down by 10 points at the half Monday, you would have thought this would have been a wake-up call for Orlando to compete and take the short-handed Celts to task but they only could manage 4 field goals in the second half.
Yup, 4 field goals. Your grand kids could have scored more and Orlando only shot 15% from the floor in the second half.
This was not a case of Orlando being tired. They had not played in 48 hours yet scored the least points in franchise history.
With the Boston front office making noise about breaking up the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, this was a huge win for the Boys from Beantown.
At least the coach of Orlando told it like it was, Coach Van Gundy: “It didnt start well, and it just got worse. This was the most dominating thing Ive ever seen against one of my teams. It was just a total beat down. You leave it here (in Boston) Everyone has had their butts kicked before, thats the way it goes. Just call it what it was, absolute domination."
The good news for Orlando is that they will have a chance to get revenge in Orlando on Thursday against this same Boston team and it will be interesting to see what kind of club shows up.
As far as sportsbook review sites wagering on the other games coming up, Orlando could be in tough Friday. They have to take the emotional train on the road and visit the young and hungry New Orleans Hornets.
It won’t get any easier on Sunday when the Magic host the talented Pacers and then they have to head to Philly to face conference powerhouse in the 76ers.
This may be the time of the year to take the points against the Magic and look for some other non-efforts.