The Orlando Magic finish their West Coast road trip in Denver against the Denver Nuggets as they aim to brush off another rough weekend pair of games.
Orlando Magic (13-45) at Denver Nuggets (31-25)
Time/TV: 9 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line via WynnBet: Nuggets by 11
Tickets: $6-$278 on StubHub
2022 Season Series: Magic 108, Nuggets 103 in Orlando on Dec. 1; Tonight in Denver
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 99.3 | 103.7 | 112.1 | 50.1 | 25.2 | 14.8 | 22.6 |
| Denver | 97.5 | 111.9 | 110.0 | 54.7 | 26.5 | 14.4 | 21.9 |
OMD Prediction
The Orlando Magic had another bad weekend — although nearly not as bad as the one they had two weekends ago when the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics came calling. The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz have the two best offenses in the league. Even with an improved defense, the Magic are struggling to contain teams operating at the highest levels.
The Magic still did some positive things. But nowhere near the level of those other teams. And so the focus to close this road trip falls on trying to scratch out another win and finish 2-2. For a team like the Magic, that would be a minor victory. And they did beat the Denver Nuggets already, after all.
The Nuggets though are still really good. The Magic played an incredible defensive half against a struggling Nuggets team to get that win at home. And playing at a fast pace in the Rocky Mountain air is going to be a test of the team’s ability to keep its focus and pace.
3 Keys To Watch
Cole storm rising?
Cole Anthony’s downturn in scoring since the beginning of the season has been one of the critical stories for the Orlando Magic. His sudden star burst to start the year has given way to some struggles and inconsistency. Even as the Magic’s offense has shown some improvements and comfort. A lot of that is more about Anthony’s playmaking than his scoring.
Still, Anthony is a scorer first. And the Denver Nuggets surely remember that since Anthony put 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on them in a huge upset win for the young Magic.
Anthony seems to be breaking out of his little shooting spell. In his last five games, he is averaging 17.8 points per game and shooting 47.1-percent from the floor and 57.1-percent from deep. He is also posting 5.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Anthony is not playing with the same outward bravado and burst that characterized those early games for the Magic. And there are still plenty of inconsistencies. But Anthony is starting to pick up his scoring again. That is a very good sign for the end of the season.
Jokic’s MVP candidacy
The NBA’s MVP race has been an interesting one, to say the least.
LeBron James’ scoring is going to put him in the race — even as the Los Angeles Lakers flounder. Devin Booker and Chris Paul are on a balanced Phoenix Suns team and are probably not getting enough talk for the award. Giannis Antetokounmpo has admittedly scaled back to pace himself for a second title, but he should still be in the race.
Joel Embiid is the likely front-runner with his crazy numbers. And Ja Morant is putting himself in the running.
The race feels very wide open.
But few are probably talking so seriously about Nikola Jokic winning his second straight MVP. Even though Jokic remains the second-betting favorite for the award behind Embiid — +280 on WynnBet (14/5 odds) — it does not feel like Jokic is getting the appreciation he deserves.
Jokic is averaging 25.8 points per game, 13.8 rebounds per game and 7.9 assists per game. He does everything for the Nuggets considering both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter have been out all year long. Jokic has kept the Nuggets afloat and outside the Play-In Game in the playoff race.
Jokic has had flashy plays too — including another game-winning block in Denver’s last game. But it feels like nobody is completely on board with Jokic having another shot at the MVP again.
Mo inconsistency
The pressure for the Orlando Magic to maybe change their lineups seems to be growing.
Fans have been restless about the Mo Bamba/Wendell Carter pairing from the beginning. And its success has been dubious throughout the season.
Even the successful starting group has started to wane. With the potential for Jonathan Isaac to return, the Magic should be at least thinking about what their lineups would look like with him in it.
The reality is that no player’s minutes get yanked around more based on matchup than Mo Bamba. And his play has warranted that inconsistency and all these questions.
Bamba is averaging career highs across the board — 10.1 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 26.3 minutes per game. But he has reached that 26-minute mark just twice in the last eight games. And that is not merely because the team has faced some blowouts.
In that time period too, Bamba has hit double figures in scoring just three times. Then there are the observational struggles of his defense in that stretch as he has struggled to manage and patrol the paint.
Bamba is still very much looking for his place even if he has found at least part of one. But change to the lineup seems on the horizon for this team at Bamba’s expense.