The Toronto Raptors visit the Orlando Magic giving people who bet on NBA at SBG online sportsbook a chance to do some basketball gambling odds on Friday at the Amway Center.
The Raps lost their first game of February 104-109 to the Celtics on Wednesday. Toronto came out swinging even though they were without DeMar DeRozan – out with an ankle injury. The Raptors outshot Boston 59% to 42% in the first quarter, at the end of which Toronto led by two points. The Raps continued to be more accurate than the Celts in the second quarter, during which Kyle Lowry scored 10 points to lead Toronto to a 62-51 advantage at halftime. And so on and so forth until midway through the fourth quarter when Boston rallied for the comeback win. Lowry had 32 points in 38 minutes, shot 12-for-20 from the floor, 4-for-11 from beyond the arc, and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Additionally, he had two rebounds, five assists and two steals. However, he “missed two huge free throws. That sucked.” Meanwhile, DeRozan’s understudy Norman Powell had 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 32 minutes. The Raptors may be having second thoughts about bringing Jared Sullinger back. The forward is averaging 3.3 points, 2.3, and 0.2 assists per game, and Toronto has lost all seven games in which he has played. Conversely, the Raptors have won only two of their last eight games; precisely the two in which head coach Dwane Casey did not play Sullinger.
The Magic have embraced their status as basketball gambling underdogs, and lost 88-98 to the head coach Frank Vogel’s former team the Pacers. According to Vogel, “momentum starts with one win.” Fans who bet on NBA who have been paying attention will have noticed that Orlando had one win against NY on January 2nd and then lost four straight; had one win versus Portland on January 13th and went on to lose the next three; had one win against the Bucks on Jan. 20th and lost another three in a row; had one win against the Raptors on January 29th and have lost two consecutive games since. So if what coach Vogel meant was backward momentum, then his “one win” theory totally holds water. The Magic had to play from behind all night against Indiana but still had a chance to pick up the home win, if it were not for a simple but ineludible fact of the sport we call basketball – you have to make shots to beat the other team, and the Magic simply missed too many late shots. Orlando is 8-16 at home, and is 15 games below .500. “I anticipated being as far over .500 as we are under .500 right now,” Vogel said. in coach Vogel’s world, every day is opposite day. Vogel added that “the Pacers play a lethargic style of basketball and they kind of lull you to sleep with their own energy.” So they’re like the Sandman? All things considered, fans who bet on NBA should consider the Raptors the basketball gambling favorites on this one.