NBA Game One Picks
TSDMike | June 4, 2009
Five bets total:
Game: Orlando + 6; -107
Moneyline: Orlando; +235
First quarter line: L.A. -2; -115
First half line: L.A. -3.5; -105
Third quarter line: Orlando +1.5; -110
Breakdown:
I like Orlando to easily cover six points and possibly win outright. The Magic won Game one in Cleveland and were a prayer from winning game two and ultimately sweeping the series. I think the Lakers pull out a close one, but the moneyline of -275 was too much to lay.
I like LA to jump out to an early lead, easily covering the two points at the end of one quarter and 3.5 they’re giving by halftime. I expect Jameer Nelson to play, and to come out cold. Being in LA, Dwight Howard could easily get into foul trouble – leading to an early LA advantage.
I like the Magic to come out strong in the second half, similar to games one and two in Cleveland where they erased deficits of 15 and 23 points. The magic will easily win the third quarter and cover the 1.5 points they’re getting. I expect the end of the game to be close. I picked Orlando and the ML because it looked like a good bet – The Magic only have to win about 40% of the time for that bet to show a profit.
