Arriving off of a strong – but losing – playoff effort last year vs the Chicago Bulls, the Indiana Pacers came roaring back to begin the 2011-2012 year. The squad is going through its greatest early record in the previous 8 years, but are still struggling vs the more skillful teams in the league. Whereas they are 11-4 to date, simply 4 of those wins are vs teams with records above .500.

Super Bowl odds

With the Magic coming to visit on Tuesday, January 24, the Pacers will have a greater challenge on their hands, and they are going to need the home court edge tonight. Indiana is unbeaten at home this year and will look to prolong their record to 6-0. If they’re able to pull out a victory, it will be the first time the squad has begun a year with 6 consecutive home wins since the 2002-2003 year.

Super Bowl betting

But the Orlando Magic are a fearsome foe who are 11-5 on the year to date. And the recent past is most on Orlando’s side. The Orlando Magic have beat the Pacers in Indiana in each of the previous 3 bouts between the 2. In fact, Orlando has won these contests on the road in Indianapolis by around 13 points. The newest contest between the 2 was January 26, 2011.

The Pacers will additionally have to find a way to cope with Orlando Magic celeb Dwight Howard. Howard has directed the squad to an 11-3 record over Indiana, and he has put up double-doubles in each one of these matches. Despite the challenges ahead for the Pacers, the sports book lists them as the -3 favorites to defeat the Orlando Magic. The total is established at 182.5.

Both teams come into this game with a 7-3 record over their last 10 matches. The Pacers have a 5-0 home record to date, while the Orlando Magic are 5-3 on the road. Look for Orlando to make a shockingly strong showing after their catastrophic 87-56 loss to the Celts a few days ago.