The Orlando Magic close their road trip with a chance to rebuild their win streak against the Houston Rockets.
Orlando Magic (11-21) at Houston Rockets (9-21)
Time/TV: 8 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line: Magic by 1
Tickets: $13-$819 on StubHub
Season Series: Rockets 134, Magic 127 in Orlando on Nov. 7; Tonight in Houston
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 98.6 | 110.3 | 114.1 | 53.0 | 28.6 | 16.3 | 29.3 |
| Houston | 99.8 | 108.9 | 115.0 | 50.5 | 35.6 | 17.3 | 29.2 |
OMD Prediction
The biggest test for the Orlando Magic will come Wednesday night. The good vibes of a six-game win streak are gone. The questions and, perhaps, doubt that comes with a loss can creep in. Unless the team decides to stop it and get back to what won them games. The mood coming off the team was a seeming understanding they were not going to win every game and that they know if they put in the right effort they can rebuild a win streak.
But with how young this Magic team is nothing is for certain. It is hard to trust a team to do something until they do it. On that note, the Magic have proven they can win and do the things necessary to win. They have proven they can build win streaks and come together.
The question now is whether they can get them back. That is the biggest reason this game against a struggling Houston Rockets team (two wins in the last six games) is so important. This is a chance for the Magic to cement the things they built in the last two weeks.
3 Keys To Watch
Defensive Improvement
Why did the Orlando Magic go on a six-game win streak? Their defense is the simplest answer. The team has a defensive rating of 114.1 points per 100 possessions, 25th in the league.
In the last eight games — including the two losses that sandwiched the six-game losing streak with solid games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta hawks — the Orlando Magic have a defensive rating of 109.1 points allowed per 100 possessions, sixth in the league (note the 114.0 offensive rating in that same time too).
This is how the Magic always wanted to play. They built their team to be a strong defensive outfit. And this is the first time everything has seemingly clicked. The team is playing with more focus and intensity. It is something they know slipped in their loss to the Atlanta Hawks. If the Magic are going to bounce back, it will start on defense.
Jabari’s Improvement
The debate on Draft night seemed centered on Jabari Smith and his star potential. All the signs were pointing toward the team taking Jabari Smith when they suddenly swerved and took Paolo Banchero. The obvious answer for the Magic’s need to get a scorer proved to be the right one. At least so far.
Smith’s slow start seemed to cement that this was the correct decision. But Smith has started to come around. Rookies sometimes need time — they cannot all be Banchero.
Smith is averaging 11.9 points per game on 37.6-percent shooting and 34.1-percent shooting from three. All the while he is giving the Rockets some solid defense and should present a fun matchup for Banchero.
But in his last 10 games, he is averaging 12.5 points per game on 42.9-percent shooting and 35.4-percent from beyond the arc. He is starting to find his way and that is a big step for the rookie in a very different environment than Banchero has had in Orlando.
Cole Off the bench
The Orlando Magic have been testing out the potential of Cole Anthony to be their super sixth man. And they have gotten some solid returns. Since returning from injury, Anthony is averaging 11.7 points per game and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor and 31.4 percent from beyond the arc.
There have been some ups and downs as Anthony gets used to this new role and new playing group.s But there have been some good moments and Anthony seems to have a lot more freedom to be a scorer while coming off the bench than he did as a starter.
That is still something he needs to get used to. But his scoring punch off the bench has already proven to be a big difference. When Anthony shoots better than 50 percent off the bench, the Magic are 3-2 with all three games coming during the win streak. His struggles in Monday’s game certainly hurt the chances to win even though the bench still performed well.
To further that point, Orlando is 4-1 when Anthony has a positive plus/minus this season. his steadiness is critical to stabilizing the bench lineups and giving the Magic a real chance to win.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.