The Orlando Magic close their preseason against the Boston Celtics as they aim to get one more win before the start of their regular season next week.
Orlando Magic (0-3) vs. Boston Celtics (2-0)
Time/TV: 7 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line: Magic by 4.5
Tickets: $6-$318 on StubHub
2021 Season Series: Celtics 124, Magic 97 in Boston on Jan. 15; Celtics 112, Magic 96 in Boston on March 21; Celtics 132, Magic 96 in Orlando on May 5
2022 Season Series: Celtics 98, Magic 97 in Boston on Oct. 4; Tonight in Orlando (Preseason); Nov. 3 in Orlando; Jan. 2 in Boston; Feb. 6 in Orlando
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 102.3 | 102.9 | 102.0 | 50.3 | 28.0 | 19.5 | 25.6 |
| Orlando | 98.2 | 96.3 | 102.7 | 48.6 | 26.1 | 17.7 | 17.1 |
OMD Prediction
The Orlando Magic get one last preseason game to prepare for their regular season. Just one more tune-up or one more chance to play someone else before the games count. The Magic certainly looked like they wanted to win that game Sunday. It really feels like the team wants to win and get one tangible positive to take with them to the regular season. It sure feels like the Magic are knocking on the door. They have been in games into the fourth quarter of all three of their preseason games.
The Boston Celtics will be short-handed this time. Jaylen Brown and Al Horford are both in health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19. They may have some other priorities too. They know how to get themselves ready for the season and they have bigger aspirations. It would be easy to see the Celtics ease off the gas pedal while the Magic go for this one.
3 Keys To Watch
Going to score at some point?
The Orlando Magic’s biggest struggle in the preseason — and really it will be the struggle throughout the season — is their offense and scoring. The Magic have the sixth-worst offense in the league in the preseason at 96.3 points per 100 possessions. Maybe this should not be so concerning. The Atlanta Hawks, after all, have the worst offense in the preseason (92.3) and the Los Angeles Lakers are right behind them. So maybe it is not something to be so concerned about.
But the Magic’s offense is still the biggest concern. The team is not built to score a ton of points and their efficiency seems to come and go with their 3-point shooting. The Magic are still installing sets and their offense is well behind their defense. But Jamahl Mosley wants the team to flow naturally into their offense from their defense. He does not want to put in a lot of control and wants players to feel the game. The team is still trying to build its offense and that is abundantly clear.
Turnovers, turnover, turnovers
A big focus for the Boston Celtics has been their turnovers. They had 23 turnovers in their win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, including six from Jayson Tatum. It is preseason and turnovers are expected as teams get used to playing with each other. The Boston Celtics committed a ton in the team’s first preseason game against the Orlando Magic too. Boston has a 19.5-percent turnover rate in the preseason (across just two games).
The Magic have done decent on that front. They have a 17.7-percent turnover rate in the preseason (21st in the league). Orlando certainly plays a style that will create and give away a lot of turnovers. So the Magic have to focus on control. They need to get on the same page offensively and execute at a higher level so those turnovers start to come down.
Regular Rotation?
Coach Jamahl Mosley has said he has been slowly fine-tuning his rotation and rounding his team into some form. So far the team has largely used the preseason to experiment and platoon. But the best moments for the Magic have been when it felt like Mosley has played things straight and worked with a rotation designed to win.
The Orlando Magic mixed up lineups a whole lot more in the game against the Boston Celtics. And then the fourth quarter in the loss to the San Antonio Spurs was a team that was built to try to win and riding a lot of hot hands. That would suggest the team will be fine once the playing groups are more set. It is still unclear if the Magic will go with a regular rotation for their preseason finale.