Hornets Host Magic in NBA Tuesday Showdown
To say that neither the New Orleans Hornets nor the Orlando Magic seem to be at any risk of reaching the NBA playoffs this season is a gross understatement considering where they are in the standings.
Both Teams Struggling This NBA Season
The Hornets are lying last in the Western Conference's Southwest Division on a lackluster 21-39, while the Magic are lying second to last in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division on an even worse 16-44.
That said, there is nothing stopping these two struggling NBA franchises from putting together a matchup to end all matchups this evening, when they face off at the New Orleans Arena in front of a frenzied home crowd.
It won't be lost on NBA betting fans that the Hornets will host a team they have already beaten on the road this season for the second time in a week. On Friday last, the Hornets may have left it to the last minute to beat the Detroit Pistons, but beat them they did 97-94.
Hornets Take On Magic in New Orleans
And tonight New Orleans will be looking to send Orlando Magic packing with their tails firmly between their legs, they way they did earlier in the season (defeated them 97-94 on December 26 in Orlando).
Unfortunately, for the Hornets, they will have to make do without the services of several key players including talented reserve Jason Smith for the remainder of the season, who was sidelined by injury in the game before the Pistons showdown on the weekend.
Ahead of tonight's matchup, New Orleans' coach Monty Williams was quoted as saying that the Hornets and the Magic are very similar teams, in terms of the fact that both are made up of a slew of young and old players, and that both have suffered more than their fair share of injuries and suspensions this season.
The Hornets will likely start again without starting power forward Anthony Davis, who recently sprained his left shoulder. In the case of the Magic, they will be missing their starting power forward Glen Davis, who underwent surgery on his left foot last month, and point guard Jameer Nelson, who will be out due to a knee injury.
Vasquez and Lopez Should Stand out for Hornets
In terms of players likely to rack up the points in tonight's game, for the home team watch out for point guard Greivis Vasquez as well as center Robin Lopez. In their last matchup against the Magic, Vasquez chalked up a season high 27 points during his more than 42 minutes on the court, while Lopez notched up his own season high of 29 points.
Not to be outdone, however, center Nikola Vucevic racked up his career high of 19 points for the Magic, with nine rebounds. In fact, since the beginning of December last year, the Montenegrin is averaging 11.4 rebounds and 12.1 points per game, to rank 4th in the NBA this season.
In terms of the NBA betting lines for tonight's game, basketball online betting site Sports Interaction has posted the New Orleans Hornets as the -9.5 point favorites over the Orlando Magic.
New Orleans Hornets vs Orlando Magic Betting
Hornets -9.5 1.91
Magic +9.5 1.91
