Orlando stopped the bleeding on Sunday, but the Denver Nuggets will aim to reopen the Magic's fresh wound as the two teams square off this evening at the Pepsi Center. Tonight's game, which concludes Orlando's four game Western Conference road swing, is scheduled to tip off at 9:00pm ET on NBA TV. NBA Odds have the Magic listed as a -1.5 against the spread road favorite and the Over/Under set at 206.5.
Orlando has enjoyed a long reign as the 
top dog in the Southeast Division, but its status may be in jeopardy with the Heat improving to 18-8 last night with a ninth consecutive win. While Miami found its rhythm, the Magic toiled through a 5-4 stretch that included a four game losing streak.
Dwight Howard and company are still very much in the picture, though, trailing the Heat by just a game in the division standings. The Magic also notched their first win since December 3rd, with a 94-85 victory over the Clippers on Sunday at the STAPLES Center. That win may prove crucial too, as Orlando will face Atlanta, Dallas, San Antonio, and Boston all between now and Christmas.
Despite the Magic's tough run, which has featured three away losses, they still possess a winning road record at 7-5. However, Orlando has defeated just one winning team as a visitor (107-78 win at Chicago on December 1st).
Denver, like Orlando, comes into this evening's game reeling just a bit after losing three of its last four games, all of which took place on the road. The Nuggets, which lost to the Knicks 129-125 on Sunday, kick off a three game home stand tonight, though, as they look to gain on the Northwest leading Jazz.
Denver, at 14-9, presently trails first place Utah by 2.5 games and the second place Thunder by two games in the division standings. While the Nuggets upcoming schedule includes tonight's meeting with Orlando followed by a Thursday night game with the Spurs, they figure, at worst, to maintain their current status considering they are 10-1 at the Pepsi Center this season.
NBA Odds Betting Trend: The Nuggets are 6-1 against the spread and 5-2 straight up as a home dog with a spread between 0 and 3.5 and total between 205 and 210.
Magic vs Nuggets NBA Odds – December 14th, 2010:
Orlando Magic -1.5 (-110), Over 206.5 (-110)
Denver Nuggets +1.5 (-110), Under 206.5 (-110)
