NBA Handicapping – Red-Hot Suns at Orlando Magic

The Phoenix Suns (4-0 SU, 2-2 ATS, 1-3 O/U) have gotten back to their fast-paced brand of basketball orchestrated by maestro point guard Steve Nash which has fueled their fantastic 4-0 start this season to help them remain as one of just three unbeaten teams in the league coming into tonight’s matchup against the Orlando Magic (3-1 SU, 3-1 ATS, 2-2 O/U).

Nash scored 30 points and dished out eight assists to lead the Suns to a convincing 104-96 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

"He (Nash) came out in that third quarter and put on a clinic," Suns forward Grant Hill told reporters following the game. "It was really fun to watch."

Phoenix covered the NBA point spread as 4-point road underdogs while the game’s final score played Over the 193.5-point O/U total.

The Magic were handed their first loss of the season on Tuesday night, getting surprised by the Detroit Pistons in their 85-80 loss as Dwight Howard was limited to just eight points and five rebounds while fouling out in 17 minutes while aggravating a shoulder injury he suffered in Sunday’s win over Toronto.

Orlando failed to cover the spread as 6 point road favorites while the game’s final score played Under the 197.5-point O/U total.

Tonight, both teams will both be trying to pick up a victory when they take to the court at Amway Arena at 7 PM ET.

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends and NBA Betting Odds, followed by my in-depth analysis and expert NBA Picks.

• Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• Phoenix is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
• Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Orlando
• The total has gone OVER in 11 of Phoenix's last 14 games when playing on the road against Orlando
• Orlando is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games at home
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando's last 6 games at home
• The total has gone OVER in 8 of Orlando's last 11 games when playing Phoenix
• Orlando is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Phoenix

NBA Odds

• Phoenix Suns +8½ Points
• Over/Under 223 Points

Analysis: I’ll keep this pick short and sweet by simply saying that I like the offensive-minded Phoenix Suns (114.0 ppg) to win cover the spread in this game with room to spare as they’ve gotten back to their up-tempo style of basketball which has produced a ton of easy baskets for all of Steve Nash’s teammates.

While I like the Magic to reach the Eastern Conference Finals this season opposite of the Boston Celtics, I saw a few holes in their play in Tuesday night’s surprising loss to Detroit, namely the fact that they’re not the best defensive ballclub around.

While the equally adept offensive-minded Magic (105.0 ppg) can score the ball with almost any team in the league and may win this contest at home, I just don’t see them out-scoring the Suns by 10 points tonight.

While many of the key trends point to an Over outcome, I think the 223 point O/U total is a bit too high so I say play the Under in this matchup as well.

Take the surprising Suns to cover the spread while pushing the Magic for the outright win BetUS NBA sports betting fanatics.

NBA Free Picks: Suns +9½ Points/Under 223 Total Points