Orlando Magic vs. LA Clippers (Dec. 7, 2022): 3 Things To Watch, Odds and Prediction
The Orlando Magic try to build some consistency and match a solid effort Monday night as their homestand continues against the LA Clippers at Amway Center.
Orlando Magic (5-20) vs. LA Clippers (14-11)
Time/TV: 7 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
WATCH MAGIC-CLIPPERS ON FUBO TV
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Line: Clippers by 6.5
Tickets: $11-$3,124 on StubHub
Season Series: Tonight in Orlando; March 18 in Los Angeles
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Clippers | 99.0 | 108.3 | 109.8 | 53.6 | 26.9 | 15.9 | 28.2 |
| Orlando | 98.6 | 108.7 | 115.3 | 52.8 | 28.1 | 16.7 | 28.9 |
OMD Prediction
The Orlando Magic found something Monday night. It was not enough to win and the team finds itself with a nine-game losing streak, but the team played with a focused effort and stuck to its game plan. It executed it fairly well. The Magic just could not hit a shot.
Orlando says that it is trusting the process as it goes through this losing streak and will try to get itself back on the hill. This is a good game to test that. The Orlando Magic did a lot of things well and lost to a very good Milwaukee Bucks team. Now, will they trust that effort and come back?
This is the consistency the team needs to learn. This is the ride the ups and downs of the league that everyone talks about to the point of cliche. This game is not just important for avoiding a 10-game losing streak, it is important for this point too.
Orlando will get some good news with Mo Bamba removed from the injury list. He will be available to play. The LA Clippers will be missing some key offensive players — Luke Kennard, Marcus Morris and Norman Powell are all OUT. But they still have Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, enough to keep the Magic’s attention. You would hope.
Prediction. 103. 77. 105. 38
3 Keys To Watch
Finding Offense
The Orlando Magic and LA Clippers are two of the worst offensive teams in the league by the numbers. The Clippers are last in the league in points per game and 28th in the league in offensive rating at 108.3 points per 100 possessions. The struggling Magic are ranked just one spot ahead of the Clippers. That could well give the team some leniency defensively.
Then again, like the Magic, the Clippers’ offense may be more about who is missing.
Those two that have been missing for a good chunk of the season are All-Stars in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, who hit the game-winning shot in a win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. The Clippers have a 115.6 offensive rating with Leonard in the game across the six games he has played. They have a 111.5 offensive rating when George is in the game across his 17 games played.
These are two players who move the needle offensively by their presence alone. And they will both be in there. So the Clippers’ overall offensive numbers may be a bit of a mirage in the way the Magic hope their defensive numbers are a mirage with Wendell Carter out.
Still, this is a game where both teams will have difficulty on offense. And the team that finds its offense may come out on top.
Bamba on the boards
It will not be clear until closer to tip-off whether the Orlando Magic will stick with Moe Wagner in the starting lineup or go with Mo Bamba back in the starting lineup. In either case, rebounding will continue to be a big focus for the team.
Wagner is second on the team in defensive rebound rate at 22.1 percent. That is ahead of Wendell Carter.
Bamba has struggled sitting at 16.6 percent. That is a major concern. As is the fact that Orlando grabs only 69.9 percent of defensive rebounds with Bamba on the floor (the Magic are at 75.3 percent with Wagner and 74.6 percent with Carter).
One of the reasons the Orlando Magic played well against the Milwaukee Bucks was increased effort on the board, particularly from Paolo Banchero. Orlando has to do well on the glass to have a chance.
That goes especially with Ivica Zubac in the middle. He has been great on the glass, averaging 11.5 rebounds per game with a team 75.4-percent defensive rebound rate while he is on the floor. Rebounding will remain a focus for this Magic team and its potential success.
Searching for shooting
The Orlando Magic are searching for shooting at the end of the day though. That is an obvious statement and something the Magic have been missing for the last decade. Orlando is 24th in the league shooting 33.6 percent from the floor and making 10.4 3-pointers per game (26th in the league).
In wins, though, Orlando is better at making shots. The Magic 38.9 percent of their threes in wins (14th among winning teams) and 11.6 per game. It is not about Orlando’s 3-point volume or how many threes the team makes. It is about the Magic simply making more threes and shooting a higher percentage.
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That is what helps Orlando stay in games and eases pressure off the team’s paint scoring and ability to get to the foul line.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.