Orlando at Charlotte

The Magic finally ended their seven game losing streak with a victory at Portland on Saturday. I expect them to build on that performance Monday night against the lowly Bobcats.The Bobcats are basically in free fall mode right now, especially on the defensive end of the floor. They have allowed their last five opponents to average over 110 ppg. Charlotte has dropped three of their last four ATS and are coming off an unsuccessful three-game western road swing. I expect them to lack focus Monday night against what should be a hungry Magic squad. Despite winning just one of their first four games on this road trip, the Magic have not played all that poorly. They gave the Sonics all they could handle on Friday before defeating Portland on Saturday. Even without Steve Francis in the lineup I expect the Magic to control this one. Charlotte is struggling while Orlando is off a big win. Teams off an upset road underdog win facing an opponent off 2 consecutive road losses by 10 points or more are 39-14 (74%) ATS since 1996. In contrast, Teams coming off 3+ consecutive road losses facing an opponent off a road win are only 21-43 (33%) ATS over the last 5 seasons. Orlando gets their second straight win and keeps their playoff hopes alive. Two stars on Orlando minus the points.