It's a must-win situation for the Orlando Magic on the Tuesday NBA playoff betting board, as they face elimination down 3-1 to the Atlanta Hawks.
It's been a horrible postseason for the Magic so far. They've been favored on the NBA odds in every game in the series so far and failed to cover in all of them. Of course, it's pretty hard to cover when you keep losing straight-up.
In Game 4 the Magic were a 1.5-point road favorite and lost to the Hawks 88-85. The Magic continued to beat themselves by shooting poorly and hitting only 39% from the field. Dwight Howard had another strong game with 29 points and 17 rebounds, while Gilbert Arenas had 20 points. That was it for the Magic though, as Jameer Nelson put up a dud with six points on 3-of-12 shooting and Hedo Turkoglu also tanked with six points on 2-of-12 shooting.
For the Hawks Jamal Crawford delivered off the bench again with a team-high 25 points to go along with six assists. Crawford has been a rock for the Hawks in the series, averaging 25 points while shooting 47%. Joe Johnson added 20 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta, while Al Horford chipped in with 14 points and 12 boards.
The Magic may be down 3-1 in the series, but they're still a 7.5-point home favorite in Game 5 at Sportsbook. Not only is Atlanta 4-0 ATS in the series, but they've won eight in a row ATS versus Orlando while going 7-1 SU.
Also on the NBA playoff betting schedule for Tuesday night are Game 5 between Indiana and Chicago (-9.5), and Game 5 between New Orleans and the Lakers (-10.5).
Looking ahead to Wednesday the Miami Heat can send the Philadelphia 76ers packing with a win in Game 5.
The 76ers avoided getting swept with an 86-82 win in Game 4 as a 5.5-point home underdog. Miami appeared to be headed to the second round with a six-point lead in Game 4 with just over a minute to go. After a shocking 10-0 run by the 76ers, which included back-to-back three-pointers from Jrue Holiday and Louis Williams, Philadelphia finished off a remarkable comeback.
Williams and Evan Turner led the 76ers in the win with 17 points apiece, while Andre Iguodala added 16 points. LeBron James netted 31 points for Miami, and Dwyane Wade had 22 points and eight rebounds. Chris Bosh had a disappointing game with 12 points and five rebounds on 5-of-12 shooting.
Philadelphia's Game 4 win snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Heat. The 76ers were 6-5 ATS in those 11 games, including going 2-2 ATS in the series. Back in Miami for Game 5 the Heat are heavy 10.5-point favorites at Sportsbook.
