Coming off of a strong – but losing – playoff effort last year versus the Bulls, the Pacers came roaring back to start out the 2011-2012 year. The team is going through its best early record in the earlier 8 years, but are still struggling versus the more adept squads in the league. Whereas they are 11-4 thus far, only four of those wins are versus squads with records above .500.
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With the Orlando Magic coming to visit on Tuesday, January 24, the Pacers will have a better task on their hands, and they’ll need the home court edge tonight. Indiana is unbeaten at home this year and will look to increase their record to 6-0. If they are able to grab a win, it will likely be the first time the team has begun a year with 6 consecutive home wins since the 2002-2003 year.
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But the Magic are a fearsome foe who are 11-5 on the year thus far. And recent history is all on Orlando’s side. The Magic have defeated the Pacers in Indiana in all the earlier 3 matchups between the two. In fact, Orlando has won these games on the road in Indianapolis by around 13 points. The newest match between the two was January 26, 2011.
The Pacers will also need to find a method to cope with Magic celebrity Dwight Howard. Howard has directed the team to an 11-3 record over Indiana, and he has put up double-doubles in all of these matches. Even with the challenges ahead for the Pacers, the sports book shows them as the -3 favorites to defeat the Magic. The total is established at 182.5.
Both squads come into this game with a 7-3 record over their last 10 matches. The Pacers have a 5-0 home record thus far, whereas the Magic are 5-3 on the road. Watch for Orlando to make a incredibly strong showing after their catastrophic 87-56 loss to the Boston Celtics a handful of days ago.
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