The Orlando Magic start a five-game homestand hoping to build off a spirited win Monday on the road and facing a struggling Boston Celtics team.
Orlando Magic (2-6) vs. Boston Celtics (2-5)
Time/TV: 7 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line: Celtics by 6.5
Tickets: $15-$312 on StubHub
2021 Season Series: Celtics 124, Magic 97 in Boston on Jan. 24; Celtics 112, Magic 96 in Boston on March 21; Celtics 132, Magic 96 in Orlando on May 5
2022 Season Series: Tonight in Orlando; Jan. 2 in Boston; Feb. 6 in Orlando
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 101.2 | 104.6 | 110.3 | 50.1 | 24.6 | 13.3 | 22.6 |
| Orlando | 98.5 | 105.5 | 113.2 | 51.8 | 28.8 | 17.3 | 24.2 |
OMD Prediction
What to make of these two teams?
The Orlando Magic, of course, were supposed to be here. they are supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league and have their struggles. They are young and still coming together under a new coach. All of that inexperience has been on display early on this season.
The Boston Celtics? Well, nobody can quite say what their issue is. They were not supposed to be a contending team. But they are super talented and should be better than this. Jaylen Brown, to be fair, is still recovering from a bout with COVID. Still, Marcus Smart called out the team’s two stars after losing an 18-point lead in a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
This game will come down to motivation. The Magic have played hard and, finally, put the pieces together to get a win. The Celtics are desperate to get back on track after that loss Monday. They just need something to stop the bleeding.
3 Keys To Watch
Offensive revival?
The Orlando Magic are not meant to be a good offensive team. Everyone knows that. It has been a long time since the Magic were even decent at offense. They have been a bottom-10 offensive team for a long time. It figures then that at a time when the entire league is struggling to score — for a number of reasons including the new basketballs from Wilson — the Magic are actually doing OK offensively.
This team is not a world-beater on offense yet. But at 105.5 points per 100 possessions, the team is 18th in the league in offensive rating. Being outside the bottom 10 of the league in offensive rating is a rarity since Dwight Howard left. And let’s not even whisper being in the top half of the league.
The Magic are doing a lot of strong indicators that their offense is figuring things out after a horrible start through the first two games. The Magic have a 51.8-percent effective field goal percentage (16th in the league) and are shooting 37.0-percent on 3-pointers (sixth! in the league). That is coming on 38.5 attempts per game (11th in the league).
Will any of this last? Who knows? But the Magic have found a nice groove offensively to where turnovers are the biggest issue and not shooting.
Dissent in the ranks
The big story coming out of Boston has been the airing of grievances (it is too early for Festivus!) following the Boston Celtics’ loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Marcus Smart called out All-Star teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown by name after the poor game calling on them to pass the ball more. That got Smart some criticism, but he is never afraid to stir the pot.
The question is how do they respond?
The Boston Celtics currently have a 58.1-percent assist rate (the same amount as the Orlando Magic, actually). They certainly need to get their passing up. With great individual players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, it can be easy to fall into that isolation pattern.
Boston has the fourth-most isolation possessions in the league according to NBA.com’s tracking stats at 14.0 per game. They also have the fourth-worst efficiency on these possessions, scoring 0.72 points per possession (even worse than Orlando!).
That is not a good formula.
Chuma Okeke’s return
Two games are not enough to really figure out what Chuma Okeke will be this season. So no one should be rushing to judgments with him. He has struggled to shoot and show the smooth play that had everyone excited about him heading into the offseason. But Okeke’s presence is certainly still welcomed, even as he gets his feet under him again.
Chuma Okeke defended Karl-Anthony Towns extremely well in the fourth quarter and has looked really good defensively. He switched seamlessly with Franz Wagner on that end.
Where the biggest change in Okeke’s game has been with his aggression looking for his shot. Clearly, some restrictions were let go and the team is trying to encourage him to shoot more.
He took nine shots including seven 3-pointers in Monday’s game. And not all those shots were advisable. He went for a post-up on his first possession back against the Detroit Pistons. And then back to it after he missed on the previous possession.
Everyone is eager to see what Okeke can develop into this season. We are obviously still at the beginning stages of that.