Best Magic vs. Celtics Player Props, ATS Bets: C's Heavy Game 2 Favorites
Can Jonathan Isaac (left) and the Magic upset the Celtics on Wednesday night at TD Garden?
Can Jonathan Isaac (left) and the Magic upset the Celtics on Wednesday night at TD Garden?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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The Celtics and the Cavaliers lived up their reputations as the teams to beat in the East as the postseason got underway last weekend. Boston beat Orlando 103-86 and Cleveland blew out Miami, 121-100 in Game 1 of their respective series.
Wednesday night brings Game 2 in both Magic vs. Celtics and Heat vs. Cavaliers, and neither of those games is expected to be close -- both favorites are laying at least 10 points.
Magic vs. Celtics Odds: Spread, ML, Total
DK FD bet365 ORL spread +10.5 (-110) +10.5 (-110) +10.5 (-110) BOS spread -10.5 (-110) -10.5 (-110) -10.5 (-110) ORL ML +400 +410 +400 BOS ML -535 -550 -550 Total 196.5 (o-110; u-110) 196.5 (o-110; u-110) 196.5 (o-110; u-110)
In Boston, the Celtics will look to start fast after they trailed Game 1 49-48 at halftime. The reigning champs are expected to be without Jayson Tatum (wrist) tonight as he recovers from a hard fall in Game 1.
Orlando, which got 59 points combined from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, will need to get more from its supporting cast in Game 2 and beyond to keep this series interesting. Banchero (36 points) and Wagner (23) were outsanding, but they were the only Orlando players who topped seven points last Sunday.
How to Watch Magic vs. Celtics
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT/truTV/Max
Best Magic vs. Celtics Player Props
Kristaps Porzingis Over 19.5 Points (+106 at FanDuel) -- 1 unit
Boston struggled on offense early in Game 1, and a big reason was Porzingis's inability to get going. In 26 minutes of action, he scored just 5 points on 1-for-8 FG shooting, including 0-for-2 from 3-point land.
One of the Magic's biggest strengths this year was how well they defended the 3-point line, but don't expect Porzingis -- who averaged 6 3PA per game this year -- to be that quiet from deep in two straight games.
The 7-foot-2 matchup nightmare took at least three 3-pointers in 41 of his 42 regular-season starts, and he scored 23 and 17 points in the two regular-season meetings between Boston and Orlando in which he was active.
Porzingis won't pick up all of Tatum's slack in the likely absence of Boston's top scorer, but he'll be one of the main beneficiaries of the extra looks as the Celtics seek a 2-0 series lead without a player who averages 20 FGA per game.
Tatum missed 10 games for the Celtics this year, and Porzingis was also sidelined for five of those contests.
But in five games Boston played this year with Porzingis but without Tatum, the former scored 26, 19, 17, 25 and 30 points on an average of 14.6 FGA per game while making 10-of-27 total 3-point attempts in those games.
Magic vs. Celtics Prediction, Best Bets
Even if Boston struggles to score without Tatum tonight, the Magic do not appear to have enough alongside Banchero and Wagner to pull the upset on the road.
Despite Orlando's regular-season success against the C's -- the Magic went 2-1 vs. Boston this year -- these teams are not exactly evenly matched, and it's hard to see Boston giving up another 36-point night to Banchero.
With that in mind, give me the Celtics, who outscored the Magic 55-37 after halftime in Game 1, to win big and cover as heavy favorites.
Magic vs. Celtics Best Bets:
Celtics -10.5 (-110 at FanDuel) -- 1 unit
Magic Team Total Under 92.5 (-108 at DraftKings) -- 1 unit
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