MetroBet takes a glance at a pair of games on the NBA slate for Tuesday night as Orlando takes on Philly and Houston faces off against Toronto.
Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers (-4.5)
Moneyline: Magic +165, Sixers -190
Betting Total: 222.5 points
Time (Eastern): 7 p.m.
The Orlando Magic (30-35) are poised to take advantage of the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers (40-23) on Tuesday night, as the Cameroon native is expected to miss his sixth straight game with left knee soreness.
Several trends are working in Orlando’s favor heading into their Tuesday trip to the Wells Fargo Center. They’re 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 games played on one day of rest, per Covers.com. The Magic have covered in five straight against teams with winning records, and are 12-3-1 in their last 16 games with Atlantic Division opponents. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly against a great home team like Philadelphia, Orlando is 8-3 against the spread in their last 11 road games.
Magic center Nikola Vucevic (20.7 points per game) is the key to this tilt. He beat Embiid early and often when these clubs last met on Nov. 14, posting 30 points. Without Embiid on the floor, Vecevic could be sitting on a monster effort here. The Sixers have had trouble “taking out the trash” of late too, going 2-6 against the spread in their last eight games with teams under the .500 mark.
The play: Magic spread
Houston Rockets at Toronto Raptors (-3.5)
Moneyline: Rockets +135, Raptors -155
Betting Total: 227.5 points
Time (Eastern), TV: 8 p.m., TNT
When the Houston Rockets (38-25) and Toronto Raptors (46-18) last met at the Toyota Center on Jan. 25, James Harden and company eked out a 121-119 victory as tepid home underdogs. The Raptors should hold serve in the season series when they host Houston at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.
A rested Kawhi Leonard, who sat out Sunday’s 112-107 loss to the Pistons, should be primed for a big game against the Rockets. He tallied 32 points when these clubs met earlier in the year. When last on the court, Leonard went for 38 points at home against the Trail Blazers. Houston must also beware of Kyle Lowry, who just recorded a season-high 35 points against Detroit.
Meanwhile, Harden has been somewhat uneven since the All-Star break. The MVP candidate did have 58 points against the Heat just two games ago, but he’s only 17-for-67 from beyond the arc in the unofficial second half of the season. Toronto is 10th in three-point percentage allowed this year (34.7 percent).
Both teams are trying to buck some negative trends, as the Rockets are 6-13-1 against the spread in their last 20 games, while the Raptors have failed to cover in seven of their last eight. But an important heads-up trend is in favor of Toronto; the home team is 16-6-1 against the spread in the last 23 meetings between the Rockets and Raptors, per Covers.com.
The play: Raptors spread
