Magic vs. Knicks: New York Is Shorthanded for This Eastern Conference Affair

The New York Knicks (25-25) will be playing without at least two starters on Wednesday night when hosting the Orlando Magic (32-18) inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Las Vegas oddsmakers have established the Knicks as two-point home underdogs, while the total has settled in at 189.

Knicks starting point guard Jeremy Lin (knee) and power forward Amar'e Stoudemire (back) are both listed as out, while leading scorer Carmelo Anthony is probable with a nagging groin injury.

The All-Star forward is definitely needed against tonight's opponent, as he scored 33 points in a 102-93 loss as 1.5-point home underdogs in the first series meeting on Jan. 16.

New York will need to bring its recent defensive intensity to pull off a slight upset, allowing just 86.0 points in winning seven of its last eight games under the direction of interim coach Mike Woodson.

Total players will find that the "under" has cashed in the Knicks' last six games.

Orlando hit 17-of-35 shots from beyond the arc against New York in the first go-around, as it looks to extend its current three-game win streak overall.

Forward Ryan Anderson poured in a career-high 30 points in hitting 7-of-13 from the three-point area in that contest, which was needed due to star center Dwight Howard being limited to just eight points.

Expect a major performance by Howard in front of a nationally-televised audience on ESPN, as he averaged 25.4 points and 16.3 rebounds in his previous eight games in this Eastern Conference series.

Bettors will find that the Magic are 5-2 against the spread (ATS) as a road favorite of 4.5 or fewer points, while the Knicks are 9-13 ATS when revenging a loss versus an opponent.

Pick: Orlando Magic -2