Hawks vs. Magic NBA Playoffs Free Pick
This Hawks vs. Magic NBA Playoffs free pick is courtesy of Pregame.com. Get free baseball and hockey picks as well at Pregame.com.
The Orlando Magic host the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semi-Final. The Magic dominated the Hawks in Game 1, and the Hawks will look to save some embarrassment in Game 2. The Magic are 9 point favorites, with a total of 189.5 expected tonight. ESPN will televise the game at 8:00 EDT.
Orlando hadn't played in more than a week when they suited up for Game 1. Some would argue the Magic played in nothing but a scrimmage in Game 1, as they won by 43 PTS. The Magic dominated the entire game, as they won every single quarter. The Magic had 4 players score in double figures, despite no player playing more than 28 minutes. C Dwight Howard had a team high 21 PTS and 12 rebounds in Game 1. The Magic shot 52% from the field, and looked like the best team in the NBA. Many experts think the Magic are playing the best basketball of any team in the playoffs, as they are the lone team that has yet to taste defeat this postseason. Orlando is 64-23 SU and 50-35-2 ATS overall this season. The Magic are 37-7 SU and 25-17-2 ATS in home games this season. Orlando is 44-30 ATS as the listed favorite this year. The Magic are 23-17 ATS against teams that average more than 99 PPG this year. PG Jameer Nelson is still leading Orlando in scoring during the playoffs, averaging 22.8 PPG while shooting better than 51% from the field.
The Magic are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite. The Under is 6-0 in their last 6 against a team with a winning SU record.
Atlanta continues to frustrate their fans and organization with their Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type performances. Atlanta is one of the most talented teams in Basketball, yet they consistently under-perform. Many experts question the heart and motivation of this team, which is a question to Coach Woodson. The Hawks were dominated in Game 1 against the Magic, and combined to score only 21 PTS in the 2nd and 3rd Quarter combined. F Josh Smith led the team with a paltry 14 PTS. Atlanta shot 34% from the field, including only 2 for 13 from the 3 point line. The Hawks played so terribly that they had more turnovers than assists as a team, 15 and 12 respectively. 4 different Hawks players average double figures in scoring this postseason, and the Hawks will need a similar effort tonight to be competitive. G Jamal Crawford is typically the catalyst offensively for the Hawks, as he comes off the bench to average 14.5 PPG this post-season. Atlanta is only 20-25 SU and 23-21-1 ATS in road games this season. The Hawks are 3-1 ATS as a road underdog between 6.5 and 9 PTS this season.
The Hawks are 0-6-1 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 8-0 in the Hawks last 8 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 102-95 in favor of the Orlando Magic. The Over 189.5 is the Total of the Day!
