Magic vs Bulls Betting Line
Back in January, the Orlando Magic traveled to the Windy City for a meeting with the Bulls where Chicago made a statement with a 99-90 win. At that time, the Magic were solidly in third place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. Now Orlando (39-22) is playing catch-up to the Bulls trailing by two and a half games for third place. Friday night, the battle for playoff position heats up as the Chicago Bulls (41-18) visit the Amway Center with tip off set for 7 pm.
Bulls at Magic Betting Lines
At the time of this writing, the lines aren’t posted yet. The Magic still have a game to play tonight (Thursday, March 3rd). When lines start to get posted at different online sportsbooks, we’ll update this post.
| Sportsbook | Point Spread | Money Line | Over/Under |
| BetUS.com | Magic TBD
Bulls TBD |
Magic: TBD
Bulls: TBD |
TBD |
| Bodog.com | Magic TBD
Bulls TBD |
Magic: TBD
Bulls: TBD |
TBD |
| Sportsbook.com | Magic TBD
Bulls TBD |
Magic: TBD Bulls: TBD |
TBD |
| BetOnline.com | Magic TBD
Bulls TBD |
Magic: TBD
Bulls: TBD |
TBD |
| Bookmaker.com | Magic TBD
Bulls TBD |
Magic: TBD
Bulls: TBD |
TBD |
Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic NBA Preview
Chicago Bulls
Not only do the Bulls hold a two and half game lead over Orlando, they have three games in hand to widen the gap even more. Chicago has been tough winning seven of its last eight and owning victories over Miami, San Antonio and Utah in that stretch.
The Bulls are led by Derrick Rose and his MVP level season. He averages 24.6 points & 8.1 assists per game, and is the consummate professional in the locker room, a leader on the floor, and a strong defender. He is an elite player and the reason the Bulls are in contention.
Center Joakim Noah, who hurt his hand back in November missing 32 games, has stepped back on the court and not missed a beat. He leads the team in rebounding averaging 11.9 per game. Power forward Carlos Boozer is the teams’ second leading scorer with a 19.0 average plus 10 boards while Taj Gibson and Ronnie Brewer combine to add 13 plus points off the bench. Small forward Luol Deng is the Bulls other scoring threat, with 17.4 PPG and potential to go for big numbers (he got 40 vs. Portland earlier this season) if he gets hot. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has done more than enough already to earn coach of the year honors but he will need to remind his young team that the last time they came to Disneyland, they got whooped by 29 points.
Orlando Magic
The Magic are desperate to climb out of fourth place and a possible second round match-up with Boston. For Orlando, it is all about center Dwight Howard and point guard Jameer Nelson. These two combined to overcome an 11 point third quarter deficit to the Knicks in New York and win 116-110 on Tuesday night. Howard averages 22.1 points and 13.1 boards per game while Nelson is bringing home 12.6 points and 6.2 assists a contest.
The Magic’s offense has been consistently ranked 11th in the league while the defense has improved in the past month moving up to fifth. The schedule is not kind to Orlando as they travel back home Friday after battling the Heat in Miami on Thursday in another huge game.
The Magic, win or lose against Miami, will have a let down; a let down they can’t afford. Chicago is younger, faster and at some positions much better. Look for the Bulls to get up early and push Orlando to the brink of collapse. Then watch how a veteran team coming together at the right time can crawl back into the game and take this one in the final minutes. The Magic by three or less is the pick here.
The battle for playoff positions in the NBA Eastern Conference heats up as the Orlando Magic (29-16) go on the road for a matchup against the Chicago Bulls (31-14) at the United Center on Friday. Right now, the Bulls are third in the East, only 3.5 games behind Boston, and a half game behind the second place Miami Heat. Orlando trails Chicago by two games and have been unable to gain ground, going 6-4 in their last ten while the Bulls are 8-2 in the same stretch. Regardless of the standings and the game being played in Chicago, oddsmakers are going with the Magic, favored by 1.
For U.S. residents looking to bet on this or any other NBA game, your best options right now are BetUS.com and Bodog.com. This is because most U.S. friendly online sportsbooks are having trouble processing Visa deposits from U.S. residents at the moment. BetUS and Bodog are the exception, and they’ve been able to process Visa payments from U.S. customers with a high success rate. It’s hard to make a bet if you can’t make a deposit, so if you’re in the U.S., try these sportsbooks first. We’re showing odds for Bookmaker, Sportsbook, and BetOnline, but only non-U.S. residents should sign up at those books.
Magic at Bulls Betting Line
At the time of this writing, only point spreads and over/under lines posted. No money lines, and nothing at all from Bodog. We’ll try to update this post as soon as we see money lines go up, and when Bodog adds their lines as well. Obviously, if you’re looking to get a bet in right now, you should sign up at BetUS.com.
*Old Lines Removed
Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls Game Preview
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are led by Derrick Rose and his all around, All-Star caliber skills. Rose is having an MVP type season, with 24.6 points and 8.1 assists per game. More importantly, Rose is a leader on the floor and a strong defender. He’s become an elite player, and the reason the Bulls are in contention.
Big man Joakim Noah, who hurt his hand back in November has missed 20 games. In his absence, power forward Carlos Boozer, Omer Asik and Kurt Thomas have picked up the slack. Boozer is the teams’ second leading scorer with a 19.9 PPG, plus 10 boards. Asik and Thomas combine for eight points and ten rebounds from the center spot.
Luol Deng is the Bulls other threat, scoring 17.4 per game and potential to go for big numbers if he gets hot. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has done a remarkable job at convincing Chicago they can contend. The Bulls own wins over the Lakers, Celtics, Heat and have beaten Dallas twice. All that being positive, the negative story is the Bulls loss to Orlando by 29 in the team’s last meeting on December 1st.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic underwent a drastic makeover this season but have not been consistent. Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu were added, while Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis were subtracted. The three new additions are averaging about the same in points and rebounds as the players traded away. Jason Richardson has been a force defensively however, and the Magic are convinced these three players give the team a better chance to compete for a title.
Jameer Nelson has been running the point well, getting teammates involved and moving the ball. Currently, the Magic’s offense is ranked 11th in the NBA while the defense is seventh.
Any story about the Magic begins and ends with Dwight Howard. “Superman” drops 22.1 points per game plus 13.1 boards. He chips in a steal and two blocks as well. Howard is a guaranteed All-Star, and will get some votes for the 2011 NBA MVP.
Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls Free Pick
The Orlando Magic are losing games they can’t afford too, such as Monday’s home loss against Detroit. Look for the Bulls to run and gun and do the job defensively. Howard will get his points but few others will contribute and Chicago takes this one down.
The Chicago Bulls are at home and getting a point. I’m taking the Bulls +1 (-110) at Betus.com.
Magic vs Bulls Over/Under Odds & Prediction
The Bulls and Magic combined give up an average of 186.74 PPG. They score 198.32 PPG. The over/under at BetUS is just 186.5 and it’s hard to imagine these two teams giving up fewer than their season average in this matchup. I’m expecting this to go over by 4-6 points, so I’m taking the over at BetUS.com.
