The Cleveland Cavaliers are heading back to Florida. LeBron James, showing off every dimension of his unstoppable game, had 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, and Mo Williams added 24 points in a 112-102 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 on Thursday night.
The Magic will once again try and close out the series in Game 6 on Saturday night.
Orlando overcame a 22-point deficit on Thursday but missed their first opportunity to finish off the Cavaliers, who are trying to become just the ninth team since 1947 to rally and win a series after being down 3-1. Orlando has two more tries to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995.
The Cavs of course feel confident that if they can force Game 7 they will be in the driver's seat. Last night's win improved their home record to 44-3 this season.
Memo to Mo Williams, leave the predictions or shot calling, to Babe Ruth, Mark Messier and Joe Namath.
Prior to Tuesday’s Game 4, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ one-guard guaranteed a win but unlike that revered New York trio, his mouth wrote a check that he couldn’t cash.
The Cavs were defeated in OT by a score of 116-114 and as a result, they failed to cover as -1.5 road faves and are down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference final.
Over in the West, the sports betting rejoiced as the Los Angeles Lakers rebounded nicely at home last night following a brutal 120-101 road loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
Back in the friendly confines of the STAPLES Center L.A. defeated the Nuggets 103-94, covering as 6-point favorites and getting a leg up on Denver in the series, currently leading 3 games to 2.
NBA Playoff Trends
The Nuggets aren’t out for the count by any stretch of the imagination as they play Game 6 back in Denver and are 18-2 straight up and 14-6 against the spread in their last 20 home games.
The NBA secretly wants a Cavs-Lakers final but should the Orlando Magic, who are 7-point underdogs in tonight’s Game 5 in Cleveland, defeat the Cavaliers and the Nuggets force and win a Game 7, the NBA will see a final with the Denver Nuggets and Orlando.
Prospective Betting
What about an Orlando-Denver Final?
SPORTSBETTING.com offers up the unique option fo “Prospective Betting”
The Nuggets have been the hotter team during the postseason, going 12-2-1 ATS while the Magic are 10-7 ATS in the playoffs, although they are currently on a 6-0 ATS run.
In the last 20 games overall between Denver and Orlando, the Magic hold the edge with a record of 12-7-1 ATS and the Under has cashed in the last four consecutive meetings between the two.
More recently, the Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic split the season series in 2008/09.
The two teams last met back in February 11, 2009 but it was Denver that came away with the win straight up and against the spread, covering as 7-point road ‘dogs in an 82-73 win.
The first meeting of the season took place back in January, with the Magic coming away with a 106-88 win in Denver, covering 1.5-point road underdog.
The last 15 times Orlando has hosted Denver, they have been, pardon the pun, magic, going 14-1 SU and 11-3-1 ATS.
In Denver’s last 15 home contests against the Magic, it hasn’t been too profitable overall going 7-6-2 ATS but more recently it has been, going 5-1 ATS and 4-2 O/U in its last six matchups dating back to November of 2003.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility to see a Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic championship final in the NBA.
It wouldn’t be the exact matchup the NBA would want but it wouldn’t be a bad thing either.
We’ll see how it plays out.
You can check all the NBA Playoff odds and Prospective Betting at SPORTSBETTING.com.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Author: ChadRogers has been an avid follower and handicapper of North American sports for over 20 years and has written about sports and sports betting for the last decade. Chad specializes in articles focused on the NFL, NFL betting, NCAA betting, the NBAand overall "how-to" handicapping articles.
The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the NBA postseason as one of the favorites to win it all. So far the Cavs, winners of 66 regular-season games and their first eight straight in the playoffs, certainly haven't looked superior to the Orlando Magic.
They can't stop Dwight Howard inside. They can't contain Orlando's outside shooters. They're not giving LeBron James enough support. And they trail 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Orlando is relishing the underdog role in its first conference finals appearance since 1995. They won 99-89 on Sunday night in Game 3, which included a flagrant foul on Anthony Johnson for his elbow to Mo Williams' face in the second quarter. James has been doing his part.
The league's MVP is averaging 41.7 points in the series. But there have been extended periods when it's LeBron and only LeBron vs. the Magic. Can the 1.5-point underdog Cavs tie up the series?
For more details NBA basketball betting check out NBA odds.
Tonight in Game 4 the Nuggets will need everything they have to try and even the series with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In their half-dozen blowouts at the Pepsi Center in these playoffs, the Nuggets had turned their crowd into a major factor by using their transition game, pull-up 3s, kick-outs and rim-rattling dunks to turn tight games into runaways and their arena into a jet engine.
Against Los Angeles, however, the 3-pointers rimmed out all night, allowing the Lakers to stick around long enough for Kobe Bryant to win it for them in the fourth quarter.
The 4.5-point underdog Lakers are 11-4 ATS in the last 15 meetings and the underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings between these clubs.
The Orlando Magic will play the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final tonight listed as 8.5-point road ‘dogs with the Total set at 188.5.
In Orlando’s last 11 games against Cleveland on a Friday, it is 6-4-1 against the spread.
The Magic are listed at +230 to represent the East in the NBA championship final.
The Houston Rockets were able to pull off a victory over the L.A. Lakers on Sunday 99-87 on Sunday, covering at +7.5 but will they be able to do it twice?
The Rockets head to the STAPLES Center listed at +11.5 with the Total set at 199 and in the last 20 when underdogs of more than 8-points, are 4-12 on the Over/Under and 10-5-1 ATS.
After sitting around for the second time in these playoffs, the series-sweeping Cleveland Cavaliers, who broomed Detroit and Atlanta into early summer vacations, are expecting a much stiffer challenge from the Orlando Magic.
Orlando won both of their matchups at home against Cleveland during the regular season, including a 116-87 thrashing on April 3.
Cleveland has lost just once since that mauling by the Magic, and that setback came in overtime in the April 15 season finale against Philadelphia.
For the opener tonight, Stan Van Gundy will return rookie guard Courtney Lee to the starting lineup, replacing J.J. Redick.
The Magic, averaging 96.1 points in the postseason, shot 54 percent in the April 3 win over Cleveland, making 13 of 27 three-pointers.
In three games against Orlando this year, LeBron James averaged 30.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists.
The Cavs enter tonight's matchup as 9-point home favorites. Get your NBA play off odds.
