Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons (March 17, 2022): 3 Things To Watch, Odds and Prediction

The Orlando Magic’s homestand continues against a Detroit Pistons team that is also starting to come into its own despite living at the bottom of the standings.

Orlando Magic (18-52) vs. Detroit Pistons (18-51)

Time/TV: 7 p.m./NBATV, Bally Sports Florida
WATCH MAGIC-PISTONS ON FUBO TV
FOLLOW LIVE @OMAGICDAILY
Line via WynnBet: Magic by 2.5
Tickets: $12-$259 on StubHub
2022 Season Series: Pistons 110, Magic 103 in Detroit on Oct. 30; Pistons 97, Magic 92 in Detroit on Jan. 8; Magic 119, Pistons 103 in Orlando on Jan. 28; Tonight in Orlando

OMD Prediction

One game should not be enough to halt any team’s momentum. One game should not be enough to erase a lot of good and progress that has been done the last few weeks. One masterful performance by one of the best players in the league — not to mention one of the most well-rested and healthy players in a league worn down by 70 games already — should not slow things down.

Then again, Tuesday’s beating from the Brooklyn Nets was so thorough and so brutal that it is hard to think of anything else. It is hard to think there will not be some effect. It is hard not to think that was a potentially big step back.

How the Orlando Magic respond in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons will say a lot about this team. It will say a lot about how the team feels about this team and how committed the team is to its identity. And the Pistons, despite their record, will provide a stern challenge.

3 Keys To Watch

Rookie Wall

Franz Wagner is one of the few players in the league to have played in every game this season. If Wagner is able to get to 82 games, that will be a truly impressive feat. There are not many rookies who graduate from the 30-game college season to 82 so quickly. But the wear and tear of 70 games is showing.

Wagner is still solid, averaging 15.3 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting a 51.5-percent effective field goal percentage and often drawing some tough defensive assignments (James Harden on Sunday and Kevin Durant on Tuesday).

But he has hit the rookie wall a few times already this year and appears to be going through a brief doldrum right now too. Wagner is averaging 13.3 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game with a 50.4-percent effective field goal percentage in the 10 games since the All-Star Break.

Some of that is the Magic have gone away from him more and they certianly need to keep him involved. But some of that is Wagner is clearly fighting some fatigue too. They are not trying to overwork him knowing there is a lot of growth to come in the offseason and a big future ahead.

Rookie Surge

Franz Wagner will almost assuredly make the All-Rookie team. His Rookie of the Year candidacy has certainly waned. And that is in part because he started off hot before settling in. Guys like Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets and now Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons are playing their best after struggling to start the season.

Cunningham has been phenomenal, averaging 16.9 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game. His shooting efficiency is not great (46.5-percent effective field goal percentage) but that is weighed down with his early struggles.

Since the All-Star Break, Cunningham is averaging 22.3 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 6.0 assists per game with a 48.2-percent effective field goal percentage. Cunningham is still taking a lot of shots, but he has the full keys to the kingdom. And the Pistons have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games.

Lonely game

Of course, the bigger question is what to expect from this game at all. It is always dangerous when two teams at the bottom of the standings play each other late in the season. And this is the only game on the NBA schedule as the league cedes the stage to the first day of the NCAA Tournament.

So here is the injury report as of 2:30 p.m.:

Cade Cunningham is QUESTIONABLE with a non-COVID illness. Jalen Suggs is OUT with right ankle bone bruise (this could very well end his season at this point). Chuma Okeke is OUT with a left knee contusion. Wendell Carter is QUESTIONABLE with a left ankle sprain.

Neither team has much of a reason to push these players. They both understand the rest of the season is about the future — both for player development and for draft positioning. It would not be surprising if none of those mentioned play.

It could make for an interesting lone game on the NBA calendar tonight.