The Toronto Raptors will be looking to reclaim home-court advantage in their first-round NBA playoff series with the Orlando Magic when they return to action in Game 3 on Friday as 4.5-point road favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto dominated Game 2 of the series, marching to a decisive 111-82 win as 11-point home chalk to even up the set at one game apiece going into Friday night’s Raptors vs. Magic betting matchup at Amway Center.
The Raptors were stunned by Orlando in the series opener, falling 104-101 as heavy 9.5-point home favourites. But Toronto has otherwise played steady basketball in recent weeks, posting straight-up wins in eight of 10 overall outings, while covering in seven of those contests. The team has also enjoyed regular success when making the trip to Orlando, winning outright in nine of 12 clashes since the start of 2012, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
Low scoring has been the hallmark of recent road meetings between these two teams. The UNDER has prevailed in totals betting in each of the Raptors’ past eight visits to Orlando. That includes two of their past three meetings, with the Raptors averaging just 91 points per game during that stretch, capped by a 116-87 loss as 4.5-point chalk on Dec. 28.
Despite seeing the UNDER pay out in each of their past three games, the Raptors regularly ran up the score down the stretch, scoring 120 or more points in five of their final 12 regular-season contests, and claiming victory by a double-digit margin on seven occasions.
Toronto also enters Game 3 as a -700 favourite on the NBA series prices, but has seen its odds to win the NBA championship take a dip to +1200 after opening the post-season at +950.
For the Magic, Tuesday’s loss snapped a five-game SU win streak that featured three straight outright victories as road underdogs. The club has also produced consistent results of late on home court. Orlando rides a nine-game SU win streak at home, and has gone 13-1 SU in its past 14 games, while covering in 11 of those contests.
The Magic have also emerged as a reliable bet as home underdogs, winning outright in eight of their past 13, and compiling a 9-3-1 ATS record. However, Orlando’s recent strong performance has failed to boost the club’s fortunes at the sportsbooks, with Magic continuing to lag as +450 underdogs on the series prices and at +9000 on the NBA championship odds.
[relatedlinks]