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Carrie Stroup here with your 2012 Game One NBA Playoff odds for the Magic vs. Pacers game. You can receive up to $250 in FREE CASH when you open an online betting account here today at Sportsbook.com. Tell them Carrie sent you.
Sportsbook.com Game 1 Line & Total: Indiana -9 & 191
Series Line: Pacers -800/Magic +550
One year after giving the Bulls a Round 1 scare as a No. 8 seed, the Pacers will be heavily favored going against the Dwight Howard-less Magic.
Even after finishing three games in front of Boston for the No. 3 seed, the Pacers are still considered by many to be outside of the East’s Big Three. But this is a team that won 10 of their last 12 meaningful games and had a chance to get healthy down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Magic press on without Dwight Howard. They’ve gone 4-5 since their disgruntled franchise center last played, and it’s tough to see them stealing even one game on the road.
The Magic beat Indiana three of four, but had Howard for each of those games. Howard largely erased Pacers C Roy Hibbert in their four matchups, as Hibbert averaged just 10.8 PPG on 41.9% FG and posted an average plus/minus of -11.5 in those games. The absence of Howard adds a whole different dimension to Indiana’s offense. The 7-foot-2 Hibbert will be going head-to-head with the likes of 6-foot-9 Glen Davis and D-League veteran Daniel Orton.
If the Magic need to collapse on Hibbert, they could be in trouble. SF Danny Granger averaged 21.6 PPG and hit 47.3% of his threes in April, SG Paul George went 10-for-20 from three over his past six games, PG George Hill gives them a pure shooter at the point, and PF David West averaged 15.2 PPG on 54.6% FG in April.
The Magic are always dangerous though because of the way they shoot the three. They made 100 more threes than anyone in the NBA, and shot the third-highest three-point percentage in the league (37.5%). The question is whether PF Ryan Anderson can make long-range shots without Howard drawing defenders away from him. Anderson is shooting 27.1% from three since Howard went down. It’s a very bad sign against a Pacers team that defends the perimeter well (35.1% 3-pt FG Pct. defense).
Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
