Markelle Fultz makes his long-awaited return as the Orlando Magic close the third quarter of the season against the Indiana Pacers.
Orlando Magic (14-47) vs. Indiana Pacers (21-41)
Time/TV: 7 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line via WynnBet: Magic by 1
Tickets: $9-$438 on StubHub
2022 Season Series: Magic 119, Pacers 118 in Indianapolis on Feb. 2; Tonight in Orlando; March 2 in Orlando
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 98.0 | 110.7 | 113.1 | 52.6 | 30.5 | 14.5 | 23.7 |
| Orlando | 99.5 | 103.9 | 112.3 | 50.2 | 25.2 | 14.8 | 22.6 |
OMD Prediction
All eyes for the Orlando Magic will be on Markelle Fultz. How could they not? The point guard’s long-awaited return from a torn ACL is the focus of everything. Even if the Magic are not able to get a win on the scoreboard, it will feel like a victory just to have Fultz back on the court.
Fultz would not tell it that way. He said squarely after practice Sunday that he wants to do what he can to help his team win. He said after shootaround Monday that he arrived in the building not excited for his return, but locked in on the task at hand to get a win.
That is going to be the big challenge against an Indiana Pacers team that had a big performance to beat the Boston Celtics on Sunday in Indianapolis and gave up a big lead in a loss to the Orlando Magic in February. This is a different team from then with Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield in the mix.
Orlando has had a few days to practice and have shown the team can defend — although the team is not playing the defense it was playing back in early February. And there is that energy from having Fultz back in the mix.
3 Keys To Watch
Remembering Markelle Fultz
The big thing to watch in Monday’s game will be Markelle Fultz’s return. There is a lot of hype about it just to have such a big player back. And while Fultz almost certainly will not be playing a ton of minutes — certainly not starter’s level although a specific minute restriction was not revealed — it is going to be intriguing to see what he can do with those minutes.
So it is helpful to remember what he can do.
In the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Fultz averaged 12.2 points per game and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 45.7-percent from the floor and 26.5-percent from beyond the arc. Those are not exactly “savior” numbers and no one should expect that.
But Fultz is a really good distributor and is good at weaving his way into the paint. Fultz makes a living in the mid-range and had a consistent dribble pull-up game. But he is really good at initiating offense, getting players organized, changing speed and finding ways to break defenses. It does not always show up in the stats.
What Orlando is really eager to see from Fultz is for him to impose that tempo that he likes and let his basketball IQ and smarts take over. That is the part that will take time. As Jamahl Mosley put it after shootaround Monday, this is sort of like a new training camp for Fultz.
New Pacers since the trade
The team the Orlando Magic stunningly beat in early February is not the same team that will take the Amway Center floor this week. The Indiana Pacers became the team that completely reformed itself at the trade deadline in the same way the Orlando Magic did so last year.
Swapping in Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield for Domantas Sabonis does indeed change the team.
The numbers in the table above are full-season numbers. In the six games since the trade deadline, the Pacers have a 117.3 offensive rating, the sixth-best offense since Feb. 10. They have a 31.8-percent offensive rebound rate too.
This Pacers team fights hard and they are a team that will play with a ton of energy. And they can put the ball in the basket all of a sudden. Their 128 points against the Boston Celtics on Sunday was the most the vaunted Celtics defense has given up since Dec. 3.
The turnover fight
Something even Markelle Fultz said he was focused on as he gets back onto the court will be limiting his turnovers. This is a team-wide directive it seems like as the Orlando Magic have struggled with turnovers of late. This was even in a problem in Friday’s win over the Houston Rockets.
The Magic are 26th in the league with a 14.8-percent turnover rate. In their last 15 games, they are 21st in the league with a 14.5-percent turnover rate. This has been a constant issue, but not necessarily a fatal one as of yet.
Young teams — especially teams that play at a fast pace — do tend to turn the ball over. That is something the Magic are going to have to be fighting and learning how to balance. In a game with a good offense like the Indiana Pacers, it is going to take some protection of the ball to succeed.