Jubilant Nets Look To Topple Magic

After Mason Plumlee’s game-saving block gave the Nets a fourth win over the Miami Heat, can Brooklyn avoid a let up against the lowly Orlando Magic on Wednesday?

The Brooklyn Nets earned a headline-writing victory on Tuesday night. Now they’ll look to avoid a slip up as they face the Orlando Magic in the second game of a back-to-back.

Tip-off at Amway Center in Downtown Orlando is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.

Thanks to Mason Plumlee’s last second block of LeBron James, Brooklyn (43-34, 16-23 road) left American Airlines Arena on Tuesday with an 88-87 victory and a four-game season sweep of the Miami Heat.

Joe Johnson led the Nets with 19 points, while Marcus Thornton added 16 off the bench and Paul Pierce tallied 14. But it was Plumlee’s heroics that ensured the Nets would be the lead story in Wednesday’s papers. The rookie forward, playing in place of the recuperating Kevin Garnett scored eight points, pulled down eight boards, and tallied three of Brooklyn’s seven blocks, including the game-saver against James.

In four meetings this season, the Nets have earned three one-point victories. The fourth game saw the side win in double-overtime. That’s how close it’s been between these two teams. But Tuesday’s victory was perhaps the most important of all four.

Having struggled on the road all season long, the Nets have now won two straight on the road and look to be building some confidence ahead of a playoff campaign that looks in all likelihood that it will see the Nets play on the road more often than not.

Jason Kidd’s team still has a chance of snatching the Atlantic Division crown from the Toronto Raptors or overtaking the Chicago Bulls and grabbing home-court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. But that scenario looks unlikely with just five games left on the docket.

The Nets will be hoping the Philadelphia 76ers pull off a huge upset in their matchup with the Raptors on Tuesday night. That would cut the gap to just one game, providing the Nets win. Bookmakers don’t like the Sixers’ chances; they’re 13-point underdogs leading into the game.

The Nets would be better suited to ignoring what’s happening elsewhere and concentrating on the task at hand, particularly as the Magic, as woeful as they have been this season, pose a very real threat.

Orlando (22-55, 18-20 home) hasn’t taken to the court since a 100-92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Not only will the team be well-rested, it will enter Wednesday’s game with an air of confidence thanks to a dominant recent home record against the Nets.

The Magic has won 15 of the last 22 head-to-head meetings between the sides, as well as nine of the last 11 played in Orlando. The Magic went home with a 107-86 victory when the two sides played at Amway Center back on November 3.

So, facing a potential let-up after an emotional team and facing a team that has had success in the series of late, Brooklyn needs to bring its A-game. The Nets will have Garnett in the lineup after he sat out Tuesday’s win. He had a comfortable 10 points in 13 minutes in his return from injury against Philadelphia on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Orlando will be without center Nikola Vučević on Wednesday. Vučević has missed two straight with an Achilles injury, having already missed almost a quarter of the season. The team is 3-17 without the Montenegrin big man.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Orlando Magic odds for 04/09/2014

Brooklyn (-240) opened as the moneyline favorite over Orlando (+200). With the Magic having had success against the Nets in recent matchups, at least at Amway Arena, they could make for a profitable underdog.

The spread opened at 6 and has subsequently dropped to 5.5.

Brooklyn (42-35-0 ATS) has had success against the spread this season while Orlando (32-42-3 ATS) has been miserable. Still, Orlando is 4-4-0 ATS in its last eight games. Brooklyn is 5-2-0 ATS in its last seven.

In two meetings this season, each team has covered the spread once, each succeeding on its home court.

The total opened at 195 and dropped immediately to 194.

The Nets (39-36-2) have favored the over this season while the Magic (33-44-0) has favored the under.

The under is looking like the smarter bet in this one. Both meetings between the sides this season saw the under pay out, a trend that has been true in each of the last five head-to-head matchups and last five the two teams have played in Orlando.

Brooklyn has seen the under pay out in four of the last five, while bettors have cashed in on the under in six of Orlando’s last eight.

Brooklyn will host Orlando on Sunday (Apr. 13) in the final meeting between the sides this season.

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