The Hawks stunned the Magic and the Hornets pulled off a shocking upset win over the Lakers in their first-round series openers. Can they bite as underdogs again in Game 2.
The Hawks headed into the series opener against Orlando as a 9-point underdog. Trend bettors could have spotted a Sportsbook in the Hawks, though, as Atlanta had won their last three SU and four in a row ATS against the Magic. They extended both streaks with a 103-93 upset win.
Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 25 points, and Jamal Crawford netted 23 points off the bench. For Orlando it was all Dwight Howard; he poured in a game-high 46 points and grabbed 19 rebounds.
The only other Magic player to score in double figures was Jameer Nelson with 27 points. Howard and Nelson combined to score 78 percent of Orlando's points, while Orlando' other starters - Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Brandon Bass - combined to score only 10 points on 4-of-21 shooting.
Despite the Magic's shaky start in the series they're still a 8.5-point home favorite on the NBA odds at Sportsbook for Game 2 on Tuesday night. Also on the NBA schedule for Tuesday night is Game 2 between New York and Boston, and Portland and Dallas.
The Lakers' hunt for another NBA Championship didn't begin as planned on Sunday in their series opener versus the Hornets. Los Angeles was a huge 11-point home favorite but never held the lead in the second half in a 109-100 defeat.
Chris Paul had an epic game for the Hornets with 33 points, seven rebounds, and 14 assists, which included scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter. Carl Landry added 17 points for New Orleans, and Jarrett Jack chipped in with 15 points.
Kobe Bryant answered Paul with a game-high 34 points, but his supporting cast let him down, especially Pau Gasol. Gasol had only eight points on 2-of-9 shooting and he was also quiet on the boards with only six rebounds. Lamar Odom also came out flat with 10 points and only one rebound.
It's not time for the Lakers to panic yet; they're only down one game and the oddmakers expect them to bounce back quickly after listing them as a 12-point favorite at Sportsbook for Game 2. Before the Game 1 loss Los Angeles was 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS versus the Hornets this season, and they had won five straight against the Hornets at the Staples Center.
The rest of the Wednesday night NBA playoffs betting schedule includes Game 2 between Denver and Oklahoma City, and Memphis and San Antonio.
