SPORTS N STUFF

sports betting players are definitely watching the decline of this edition of the Boston Celtics, and general manager Danny Ainge has said that he wont hesitate to trade one of the “Big Three” ahead of the deadline. But the Celtics still have some life left and theyll show it on Monday in a huge Eastern Conference showdown with Orlando.

What: NBA Betting
When: Monday, January 23rd, 7:30 PM ET
Where: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
Pick: Boston Celtics

Why Bet On Orlando Magic (10-4 SU, 8-6 ATS, 5-2 ATS road)

The Magic should be rested as they have the weekend off after a Friday night meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers at home, and they would be coming off an 85-83 overtime loss at home against San Antonio, which snapped a five-game winning streak. Dwight Howard went off with 24 points, 25 rebounds and three blocks, while Ryan Anderson had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, but he was 1-of-6 from beyond the arc and the team was 4-of-21 from three-point land as a whole. Orlando shot a miserable 33.3% from the field, but they managed to outrebound the Spurs 60-41, including 18-4 on the offensive end. You could easily say that this game was lost during a bizarre moment in the third quarter, when Glen “Big Baby” Davis was called for a technical while protesting a foul call as he pulled his shorts down….yes, you read that right. Tony Parker would go on to hit the free throw, which may have been the point that tied the game for the Spurs.

Hedo Turkoglu (back) joined fellow forward Jason Richardson (knee) on the sidelines on Wednesday, although the San Antonio game was the third that Richardson had missed. The two are hoping to be ready for Fridays game against the Lakers, but NBA betting players know that most teams are battling injuries right now because of the congested schedule, so there is no excuse. Their biggest concern surrounds Davis, who will be returning to Boston, where he spent the first four seasons of his career. Everyone knows Davis is an emotional guy, and the Celtics will try and goad him into a stupid play.

Why Bet On Boston Celtics (5-8 SU, 6-7 ATS, 3-5 ATS home)

The Celtics will also be in action on Friday night at home against Phoenix, and they probably played their best game of the season on Wednesday as they routed Toronto 96-73 at home to halt a five-game skid. Rajon Rondo hit seven of his eight field-goal attempts en route to a team-high 21 points, while Brandon Bass came off the bench with 13 points and nine boards for the Celtics, and even though it was only against the Raptors, the Celtics needed something to stop their slide. They passed the ball around nicely with 21 assists on their 34 field goals, they outrebounded the Raptors 45-38 and Boston turned the ball over just nine times as opposed to 16 for the Raptors. It was also good to get a blowout as Bass actually led the team in minutes played with 31, while Rondo and Ray Allen led the starters with 28. It was an impressive performance for a team that many NBA betting players are writing a eulogy for already, but that would be dangerous against an experienced team like the Celtics.

Rondo (wrist) should be ready for this game, although the Celtics do play on Sunday in Washington as well, and Keyon Dooling (knee) is also banged up, which means the Celtics may be forced to start Avery Bradley at the point. The Celtics will do everything in their power to get Rondo back to 100% (or as close as possible) before this meeting with the Magic, who are one of the teams that the Celtics are chasing. But Boston has larger problems, like not being in the playoff picture heading into the weekend. The Celtics really dont care which seed they are going into the postseason, but first they have to get there.

How It Will Play Out

Boston should be the NBA betting favorites at home on Monday night, and theyre 4-1 SU and 3-1-1 ATS in their last five at the new Garden against the Magic, with three games going under the posted total (along with a push). The Magic may have an edge because the Celtics play on Sunday, but Boston will be aiming to put the Wizards out of their misery early so their big guns will be rested for Monday night.

The Celtics have had their issues scoring points, and both teams are solid defensively, so this should be another low-scoring affair with plenty of physical play. Were leaning towards the Celtics at home, where they have been much better this season and they should focus their attentions on Anderson, who has improved and is a solid No.2 option to Howard, who will get his points anyway. If they can take away the other options, the Celtics should be able to shut down the Magic for a victory in your sports betting book.

Magic Celtics Betting Pick: Boston Celtics