Coming off of a strong – but losing – playoff effort last season against the Chicago Bulls, the Indiana Pacers came roaring back to start off the 2011-2012 season. The team is experiencing its best early record in the previous eight years, but are still troubled against the more skillful teams in the league. Whereas they’re 11-4 so far, merely 4 of those victories are against teams with records above .500.

College football odds

With the Magic arriving to visit on Tuesday, January 24, the Pacers will have a better task on their hands, and they are going to need the home court edge tonight. Indiana is undefeated at home this season and will look to extend their record to 6-0. If they’re able to grab a victory, it will likely be the first time the team has started off a season with six straight home victories since the 2002-2003 season.

College football odds

But the Magic are a fearsome enemy who are 11-5 on the season so far. And the recent past is most on Orlando’s side. The Magic have beat the Pacers in Indiana in each of the previous 3 matchups between the 2. Actually, Orlando has won these games on the road in Indianapolis by an average of 13 points. The newest match between the 2 was January 26, 2011.

The Pacers will also need to find a method to cope with Magic star Dwight Howard. Howard has led the team to an 11-3 record over Indiana, and he has put up double-doubles in all of these games. Despite the challenges ahead for the Pacers, the sports book lists them as the -3 faves to defeat the Magic. The total is set at 182.5.

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