The Orlando Magic look to keep their winning ways going as they take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at the Amway Center.
Orlando Magic (13-21) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (13-20)
Time/TV: 7 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line: Magic by 3.5
Tickets: $160-$4,850 on StubHub
Season Series: Tonight in Orlando; March 19 in Los Angeles
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.A. Lakers | 102.8 | 111.6 | 113.6 | 53.5 | 24.8 | 13.9 | 29.0 |
| Orlando | 98.8 | 111.0 | 113.7 | 53.4 | 28.6 | 16.2 | 29.3 |
OMD Prediction
The Los Angeles Lakers are always a big game. Having LeBron James will do that for any team too. The Lakers are always going to bring the eyeballs and a certain amount of attention. No matter how poorly they are playing.
The Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers could not be going in more opposite directions right now. The Lakers are trying to piece together a team around James in his twilight years and are struggling to get out of the corner they backed themselves into. The Magic have a seemingly boundless future in front of them.
And Orlando is playing extraordinarily well having won eight of its past nine games while Los Angeles has lost four straight, giving up 120 or more in each game and more than 130 in three of those games. The Lakers are struggling to find lineups and the Magic’s size should give them problems.
But . . . this is LeBron. And the Lakers had the dreaded player’s meeting to try to get their ship right after giving up a 51-point quarter on Christmas in Dallas. The Lakers should play with some fire to try to get themselves back on the winning side.
3 Keys To Watch
Eye on pace
For most of the season, the Orlando Magic have been surprisingly one of the slowest paced teams in the league. At least in terms of possessions per 48 minutes. That was somewhhat expected without a true point guard to helm the team and give it some balance. The Magic were struggling to play with the speed and intensity they wanted.
Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony have helped change that in a significant way. And during this winning stretch, the Magic are playing at a much healthier pace.
Orlando is still 22nd in the league in pace at 98.8 possessions per 48 minutes. But in the last 10 games (where Orlando is 8-2), the team is up to 14th in the league at 99.9 possessions per 48 minutes. The Magic play at a team-highest 102.4 possessions per 48 minutes with Fultz on the floor and it climbs to 103.4 possessions per 48 minutes in the last 10 games.
This is all to say, the Magic are playing at a much quicker pace and getting into their offense faster and more effectively in the last 10 games. that will be critical in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers who play at the second-fastest pace in the league, thheir way of making up for their poor shooting.
LeBron’s greatness
LeBron James remains a lot to help the Los Angeles Lakers or any team remain competitive. There is no getting around this or changing it. He is a force to be reckoned with and someone who defenses have to have their entire attention on — even if his teammeates struggle to give him the help he needs.
James is averaging 27.8 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game and 6.6 assists per game. He is averaging 33.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game over his last seven games played.
Going deeper, the Lakers have just a -0.4 net rating with James on the floor (they are -2.0 overall). James is still a major impactor on the floor and is not slowing down. If there is one player who can single handedly give the Lakers a chance to win, it is James. Even if he is still carrying an impossible load with Anthony Davis out.
3-point shooting
The biggest key to this game for both the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers might simply come down to 3-point luck. Whoever hits their threes is going to be the team that wins the game.
Both the Magic and Lakers are capable of getting to the foul line. And that will prove to be a big difference, but both teams’ success hinges on making outside shots.
Orlando is 17th in the league now shooting 34.8 percent from beyond the arc (10th in the league in the last 10 games at 36.8 percent). The Lakers are 26th in the league shooting 33.5 percent from deep.
Neither team is afraid to let it fly, althoughh both are a bit more selective with how many attempts the teams take. The Magic are 24th overall in attempts per game at 31.2 per game while the Lakers are 28th with 30.3 attempts per game.
The team that settles and does not attack the basket is the team that is likely to lose this one. Or the team that uncharacteristically makes their outside shots could be the one that steals the win.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.