The Orlando Magic have Markelle Fultz back in practice but he is not likely back as the Magic finish their road trip with a pair of games in Los Angeles.
Orlando Magic (5-21) at LA Clippers (14-12)
Time/TV: 3:30 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line via WynnBet: Clippers by 8.5
Tickets: $6-$195 on StubHub
2022 Season Series: Today in Los Angeles; Jan. 26 in Orlando
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 99.3 | 102.3 | 113.0 | 49.3 | 26.7 | 15.5 | 22.1 |
| LA Clippers | 99.7 | 105.8 | 104.6 | 52.0 | 25.2 | 15.1 | 21.3 |
OMD Prediction
The news for the Orlando Magic was Markelle Fultz’s return to practice Friday. That should give the team something of an emotional boost. It may well help the team refocus after a pair of very sloppy games offensively that cost the team a chance at one win at least. Orlando still has a lot of pieces it needs to put together. Any energy boost will surely help.
Orlando though needs to clean its own house before it does anything else. It needs to tighten up its defensive effort and limit its turnovers to have a chance to win games. The Magic simply cannot make too many mistakes.
The question is when will all those pieces come together. The LA Clippers are certainly still a dangerous team. But they struggle offensively, relying heavily on Paul George to carry the team. George is out for this game with a sprained right elbow. That makes this a golden opportunity to win.
3 Keys To Watch
Control what you can control
The Orlando Magic really need to be focused on themselves and controlling what they can control. That means turnovers — a constant storyline for the last few weeks as the team has had some solid offensive moments, but has not set up the defense for success.
The Magic have fallen to 26th in turnover rate at 25.5-percent. That means, on average, one in four possessions ends in a turnover!
For a team that struggles to score, this is obviously a bad sign for the team. And it was costly in games against the Houston Rockets (18 for 21 points), the Golden State Warriors (23 for 38 points) and the Sacramento Kings (13 for 14 points, including seven turnovers in the third quarter).
Orlando has typically been good at preventing scores off their turnovers, but not of late. The LA Clippers are one of the best defensive teams in the league and force opponents into a turnover rate of 15.5-percent (seventh in the league). They score 17.0 points off turnovers per game (ninth in the league). Limiting turnovers will again be a key to this game.
Life without Paul George
Paul George is listed as OUT for Saturday afternoon’s game with a right elbow sprain. George missed the last game against the Boston Celtics, a three-point win for the LA Clippers. But he has had a stellar season, often carrying the Clippers offensively with 25.0 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Do not take George’s absence though as a sign the Clippers will just rollover. Wednesday was certainly a sign of that.
In that win over the Celtics, the Clippers got 20 points from Marcus Morris and a surprising 27 points from Brandon Boston off the bench. That is what it will take to fill in such a big scoring hole on the team.
LA has a +1.0 net rating when George is off the floor this year, including a stellar 101.4 defensive rating. It will still be tough to score against this Clippers team. And they are still capable of pouncing on mistakes.
Point Franz
Everyone has been glowing about Franz Wagner. He is getting some Rookie of the Year consideration already and is certainly a shoo-in for the Rookie Game in February and should make an All-Rookie team if things keep trending this way.
The why Wagner has been so good is not just about his scoring. It just seems like there is some new expansion to his game the team is discovering.
The latest discovery is his passing. Wagner is averaging just 2.8 assists per game this season. But he is posting 4.6 assists per game in his last five games (to go with 17.0 points per game and 52.3-percent effective field goal percentage). The Magic have run some lineups where Wagner is essentially initiating the offense as the point guard when Cole Anthony is not on the floor.
Wagner has impressed with his overall basketball IQ almost immediately. He is good defensive and recovers from mistakes really quickly. The Magic are doing a good job exploring everything he can do. And Wagner keeps passing each challenge with flying colors.