Arriving off of a strong – but losing – playoff effort last season versus the Chicago Bulls, the Indiana Pacers came roaring back to start off the 2011-2012 season. The squad is going through its greatest early record in the prior eight years, but are still troubled versus the more adept teams in the league. Whereas they’re 11-4 so far, just 4 of those victories are versus teams with records above .500.

NFL betting

With the Orlando Magic coming to visit on Tuesday, January 24, the Pacers will have a greater task on their hands, and they will need the home court edge tonight. Indiana is unbeaten at home this season and will look to expand their record to 6-0. If they are able to get a win, it’ll be the 1st time the squad has begun a season with 6 straight home victories since the 2002-2003 season.

Online sportsbook

However the Magic are a fearsome adversary who are 11-5 on the season so far. And the recent past is all on Orlando’s side. The Magic have beat the Pacers in Indiana in all the prior 3 matchups between the 2. In fact, Orlando has won these games on the road in Indianapolis by typically 13 points. The newest match between the 2 was January 26, 2011.

The Pacers will also have to find a method to deal with Magic celebrity Dwight Howard. Howard has led the squad to an 11-3 record over Indiana, and he has put up double-doubles in each one of these games. Despite the challenges ahead for the Pacers, the sportsbook shows them as the -3 favorites to defeat the Magic. The total is established at 182.5.

Both teams come into this game with a 7-3 record over their last ten games. The Pacers have a 5-0 home record so far, whereas the Magic are 5-3 on the road. Watch for Orlando to make a remarkably strong showing after their devastating 87-56 loss to the Celts a few days ago.