With the NBA trade deadline just 16 days away, the basketball betting online headlines are all buzzing with the latest trade rumors. From unsubstantiated claims that LeBron James was pushing Kevin Love out the door, to the New Orleans Pelicans being unable to hang up the phone on any trade related talks.
Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of sportsbook action left on the schedule before the heavily anticipated trade deadline comes around. Tuesday night’s NBA activity will only feature 3 contests and without a doubt the one with the most allure has to be the pairing between the Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets.
Tuesday evening, the Orlando Magic will be making the jaunt to the Lone Star state to face off against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. The Rockets were lighting up the entire NBA earlier this season but recently The Beard and company have hit a bit of a slump and have lost 8 out of their last 14. The Magic are not an elite team by any measure of the word and provides the perfect opportunity for Houston to begin a legitimate turnaround. Let’s check the odds to see what they have to say for those who bet on NBA liens.
BASKETBALL BETTING ONLINE ODDS – REGULAR SEASON – February 7th
Orlando Magic +11 ½ (-110) 223 ½ (-110) +525
Houston Rockets -11 ½ (-110) 223 ½ (-110) -750
As most players would expect, the sportsbooks have decided to favor the winning team. Despite their recent struggles, the Rockets have been able to maintain a top position in the Western Conference.
Houston will be coming into Tuesday’s matchup with a 37-17 record that ranks them 2nd in the Southwest Division. The Rockets have qualified for the postseason in each of the last 4 seasons and the improvements that Houston has been displaying this season – all thanks to first year head coach Mike D’Antoni whose system has been able to maximize his players’ output – leads most fans to believe that Houston could be a deep run in the postseason.
Unlike the Rockets, the Magic have failed to qualify for the postseason for the last 4 years. Unfortunately, given Orlando’s performance throughout this basketball betting online season, it doesn’t appear like the Magic will be snapping that streak anytime soon.
The Magic have stumbled their way to a 20-33 record that ranks them near the bottom of the Eastern conference, and also places them 5th in the Southeast Division. The Magic have had a different head coach over the last three years with Frank Vogel currently leading the team. In hindsight, the organization might be better off sticking with one coach for longer than a single season.
The Magic will turn to Evan Fournier to lead them to an upset victory. Fournier is currently averaging 16.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Serge Ibaka is the Magic’s second-leading points scorer who is netting 14.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per contest.
The sportsbook favorites are led by none other than The Beard who is putting up 28.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per season. Second for Houston in points is Eric Gordon who is draining 17.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per outing.
