The NBA Finals begin on Thursday night in Los Angeles as Kobe Bryant and the Lakers host Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Los Angeles is back in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year and 30th time in franchise history while the Magic are in the NBA Finals for the second time in their history.

The Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at STAPLES Center in the opening game of the NBA Finals.

GAME: Orlando Magic (71-30) at L.A. Lakers Lakers (77-23)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, June 04 - 9:00 PM EST
SPREAD: Los Angeles -6 TOTAL: 206
Playoff Series: NBA Championship; Series Tied 0-0
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Oddsmakers currently have the Lakers listed as 6-point favorites versus the Magic, while the game's total is sitting at 206.

Dwight Howard poured in 40 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for a double-double as the Magic dominated the Cavaliers 103-90 to win the Eastern Conference title last time out.

The Magic covered the slight 2-point spread in that contest, while the combined score pushed the posted total of 193.

Kobe Bryant poured in a game-high 35 points as the Lakers defeated the Nuggets 119-92 last Friday to win the Western Conference title.

The Lakers won that game as 5.5-point underdogs, while the combined score made it OVER the posted over/under (209.5).
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Team records:
Orlando: 59-23 SU, 49-32-1 ATS
Los Angeles: 65-17 SU, 42-39-1 ATS

Orlando most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing LA Lakers are 5-5
After playing Cleveland are 6-4
After a win are 6-4

Los Angeles most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Orlando are 2-8
After playing Denver are 6-4
After a win are 4-6

A few trends to consider:
Orlando is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Orlando's last 6 games
Orlando is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games at home
LA Lakers are 14-2 SU in their last 16 games at home
LA Lakers are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games when playing at home against Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of the LA Lakers last 10 games
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