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The Magic vs. Knicks line was posted at -1.5 in favor of Orlando at Sportsbook.com with a total of 204.5.
Two teams heading in opposite directions get together for the third time this season when the Magic travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the struggling Knicks. Orlando has won five straight in this series overall and four straight at MSG.
Orlando is one of the worst ATS teams in the NBA this season both overall and on the road. The Magic are 30-40 overall and 13-21 on the road, ranking in the bottom five in both categories. Orlando has won three in a row SU, but has lost four straight ATS. The Magic have just about secured the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage for the first round, as they are five games ahead of fifth-place Atlanta. Dwight Howard has been an absolute beast for Orlando recently. He has recorded 28 consecutive double-doubles, and is averaging 24.6 PPG, 17.4 RPG and 3.8 BPG in his past five games. Howard loves seeing the Knicks on the schedule, as he has recorded double-doubles in 12 of his past 13 meetings with New York, including 24.4 PPG and 14.6 RPG during Orlando's five-game win streak over the Knicks.
New York has been one of the best teams in the league ATS this season, going 40-28 overall. The Knicks have struggled of late both SU and ATS losing three straight and six of seven. They squandered a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics scored 23 of the final 27 points in their 96-86 win over the Knicks at MSG on Monday. New York has had issues stopping teams in the second half since acquiring Carmelo Anthony (Knicks are 7-9 with him), allowing a league-worst 53.1 PPG. They ranked 23rd in the NBA in second-half points allowed prior to the trade, allowing 50.2. Anthony has also disappeared in crunch time during the Knicks three-game losing streak, totaling just 11 points on 2-of-12 shooting in the fourth quarter over that span.
The Magic, who are fifth in the league in scoring defense at 94.2 PPG, are holding opponents to just 88.4 PPG in their past five games. That's trouble for New York who is having issues scoring and shooting the ball over its past three games (92.0 PPG, 41.6 percent from the field).
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