Orlando Magic vs. Utah Jazz (Nov. 7, 2021): 3 Things To Watch, Odds and Prediction

The Orlando Magic continue their homestand against one of the league’s best in the Utah Jazz, fresh off a loss in South Florida.

Orlando Magic (2-8) vs. Utah Jazz (7-2)

Time/TV: 6 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
WATCH MAGIC-JAZZ ON FUBO TV
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Line: Jazz by 10
Tickets: $10-$176 on StubHub
2021 Season Series: Jazz 124, Magic 109 in Orlando on Feb. 24; Jazz 137, Magic 91 in Salt Lake City on April 3
2022 Season Series: Tonight in Orlando; Feb. 11 in Salt Lake City

OMD Prediction

One of the things we all want to see this year from the Orlando Magic are some upset wins. Progress and success this year will be measured in whether the team looks like they have the outlines of an identity. Through 10 games, they might have that. But one thing they have to do is prove they can beat good teams in the process. They will have to do that when they are competing for the playoffs, after all.

This is a good chance at one, even though it will be a tall task. The Utah Jazz are coming off a back-to-back following their three-point loss to the Miami Heat. They had to come back from a 19-point deficit and Donovan Mitchell is nursing an ankle injury — that he played through for 37 points and seven assists (although 4-for-15 shooting from deep) Saturday.

The task will be very tough. The Jazz do all the things well the Magic struggle with. They force turnovers, they attack the offensive glass, they hit 3-pointers effectively and they protect the paint. Rudy Gobert is a lot of the problem the Magic have to solve. This is going to be a very tall task, indeed.

3 Keys To Watch

In the paint

Any time any team plays against the Utah Jazz, they have to deal with Rudy Gobert. He is a defensive force on the inside the league really has not seen since Dwight Howard. He changes everything for everyone. Opponents are shooting 41.3-percent at the rim against Gobert this season, according to data from Second Spectrum. That is an incredible number.

The Orlando Magic have not been a great finishing team in the paint. The team is averaging just 39.8 points in the paint per game, 28th in the league. The Magic are making just 58.3-percent of their shots within five feet with 19.7-percent of their shots essentially coming right at the rim (they were at 57.8-percent and 28.8-percent of their shots).

Orlando has struggled to get in the paint consistently and that is a big reason why the team’s offense has often stalled out. The Magic rely heavily on their 3-point shooting to keep their offense alive. That has not been a formula for success.

It might be what they have to do against this Jazz team.

On the perimeter

And that 3-point shooting is worth talking about too.

The Orlando Magic are a better 3-point shooting team this year than in years past. The Magic are doing a better job getting open threes and taking and making them. They are 14th in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (34.4-percent) and seventh in the league in attempts per game (39.2 per game).

The Magic definitely fall in love with this shot a bit too much. But this feels like a more modern offense. The team is willing to and is taking more of these 3-pointers. It is hard to be too upset about that.

The Utah Jazz are also a heavy 3-point shooting team. They are second in the league with 42.6 attempts per game and 22nd in the league in percentage (33.2-percent). That is not a super concern for the Jazz. They know they have a ton of shooters who can spread the floor and make defenses sweat for being left open.

Cole Anthony’s status

There was a small surprise coming out of Saturday’s practice. Cole Anthony was added to the team’s injury report, listed as QUESTIONABLE as of Sunday morning because of a sprained left ankle.

To say the least, the Magic would find it difficult to function without Anthony. He leads the team in scoring with 18.9 points per game. And he has done it with efficiency — 42.1-percent shooting overall and 40.3-percent from deep for a 52.3-percent effective field goal percentage.

Beyond that, Orlando has a +1.1 net rating with Anthony on the floor. That is one of three players on the team with a positive net rating — Mychal Mulder, who played only the dying minutes of the loss to the Detroit Pistons, and Moritz Wagner, which is quite surprising.

Anthony is much higher usage than both of those players and so we can surmise that Anthony is having a big role in this positive impact.

Playing without Anthony would make it really hard to win this game against a great Utah Jazz team.