Philadelphia at Orlando

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Philadelphia 76ers at Orlando Magic
Wednesday, April 22nd, 7:00PM Eastern

Betus.com betting line – Orlando -10, 193.5 O/U

The Philadelphia 76ers overcame a 18 point deficit in the opening game of their postseason playoff appearance against the Orlando Magic to score a dramatic upset victory. The 76ers were 10 point underdogs heading into the event and it quickly looked like Orlando may have been a bit too powerful. However, Andre Iguodala and company led a fierce comeback in the 4th quarter with Iguodala draining the game winning bucket with just less than 3 seconds to play in the game. The victory was the first for the 76ers over the Magic this season considering Orlando won the previous 3 regular season match-ups. Orlando will look to rebound on Wednesday night as they get Game 2 at home as well as they seek to even up the series. Similar to the first game Orlando will be again 10 point favorites in the contest, but hopefully it will be another hard fought exciting grudge match.

Philadelphia answered a lot of questions with the strong confidence building comeback victory. The 76ers had lost 6 straight games before taking advantage of a resting Cleveland team in the season finale. The disappointing finish to the season raised a lot of red flags around the organization and many figured that the Magic would dominate the series. However, after facing a little bit of adversity Philadelphia has the chance to put the Magic in a big hole if they can win. If they get the victory over, they would put Orlando down two games and will return home which would be extremely hard for the Magic to overcome. Philadelphia will have to find a way to slow down Dwight Howard who had a big night in Game 1 with 31 points and 16 rebounds. Interestingly the 76ers actually out rebounded the Magic despite Howard seemingly dominating the glass. Add to the fact Andre Miller had a rather quiet night with only 15 points. The fate of the team may rest in how effective Miller and Iguodala can be in the upcoming games, but they will have to withstand Orlando who will be out for revenge on Wednesday night.

Orlando is among the top 3 teams we have heard about all year in the Eastern Conference. Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland are the huge favorites to win the East. However, as Chicago and Philadelphia have proved there are some hungry challengers and it is imperative that Orlando get back on the right foot tonight. Expect the Magic to come out with a chip on their shoulder. Dwight Howard must have another big night especially on the glass. Meanwhile, Hedo Turkoglu must come out and have a better night than the 6 point and 25% shooting from the floor he had in Game 1. The difference in game 1 and the previous games where Orlando scored all victories is that Philadelphia simply knocked down shots from the perimeter. Orlando solid defense has been big attribute to their success this season and I would expect them to challenge the 76ers shots a bit more in this game. Orlando must put it together for all 4 quarters if they plan on evening the series back up and avoiding the unthinkable 0-2.

Pick – Orlando fires back convincingly