If Orlando is going to close out the 76ers in tonight’s Game 6 at Philadelphia, it will have to do so without its perennial All-Star center Dwight Howard. The Magic’s 23-year-old leader was suspended Wednesday for a flagrant elbow that landed on Samuel Dalembert’s forehead.
Also, Orlando rookie guard Courtney Lee is “out” for Game 6 after sustaining a fractured sinus on an inadverdent elbow from Howard. Lee’s status for the rest of the playoffs is a question mark.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that the Magic’s 91-78 victory as an 8 ½-point favorite Tuesday was bittersweet. On the bright side, Stan Van Gundy’s bunch covered the number for the first time in the series, while the 169 points stayed well ‘under’ the 188-point total.
Howard had a monster game, finishing with 24 points and 24 rebounds. Rashard Lewis had his best game of the postseason with 24 points.
In the losing effort, Andre Iguodala continued his stellar play with 26 points, five rebounds and four assists. Andre Miller had 17 points, six assists and four steals. Willie Green was also in double figures for the 76ers with 16 points.
For Game 6, Las Vegas Sports Consultants was prepared to open Orlando (62-25 straight up, 50-36-1 against the spread) as a 3 ½-point favorite with Howard in the lineup. With him out, LVSC sent out the 76ers as two-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 184. This will be the first time in the series that Philadelphia (43-44 SU, 40-45-2 ATS) has been favored.
Howard has only missed three games in his entire five-year career, with all three of those absences coming this season. In those spots, Orlando went 2-1 both SU and ATS, but we should point out that the defeat both SU and ATS was in this year's regular-season finale when other regulars also had the night off. The 'under' hit in all three games with Howard on the sidelines.
Don’t be surprised if things get testy as the 76ers face elimination at Wachovia Center. In the aftermath of Game 5, Philadelphia head coach Tony DiLeo complained that Howard “lives” in the three-second lane on both offense and defense.
Van Gundy wasn’t pleased with DiLeo’s remarks. He implied that DiLeo was simply “lobbying for calls.”
These teams split Games 3 and 4 in the City of Brotherly Love, but the 76ers covered the spread in both spots. The ‘under’ cashed in both games. In fact, the ‘under’ is 4-1 in this series with the lone ‘over’ appearing in Game 1.
Orlando has been a steady money maker on the road all year long. The Magic are 28-15 SU and 26-16-1 ATS when they leave O-town. As for the Sixers, they own a 25-18 SU record and a 20-21-2 ATS ledger at home.
With Lee out of the lineup, J.J. Redick will see increased playing time. The former Duke star averages 5.9 points per game and had six points, two assists and two steals in 29 minutes of playing time in Game 5. He was only 1-for-5 from the floor, however. Nevertheless, his 3-point shooting must be heavily respected as he can stroke it from long range with the best of them.
The ‘under’ is 43-40-4 overall for Philly, 25-16-2 in its home assignments. Meanwhile, the Magic have watched the ‘under’ go 50-37 overall, 22-21 in its road outings.
NBA-TV will have the telecast at 7:35 p.m. Eastern.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--Howard is averaging 24 points and 15.8 rebounds in Orlando’s first-round series against the 76ers. After his suspension, Howard told the Associated Press, “I have complete faith in my teammates that they will come out and get the job done [Thursday] night."
--Philadelphia is 7-5 ATS in 12 games as a home underdog this season.
--Boston’s Rajon Rondo was not fined or suspended by the league for his hard foul on Brad Miller in the final second of the Celtics’ overtime win Tuesday in Game 5.
Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.
