The Orlando Magic look to take the bad taste of Tuesday’s loss out of their mouths as they battle the Detroit Pistons on the road.
Orlando Magic (13-22) at Detroit Pistons (8-28)
Time/TV: 7 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line: Magic by 1
Tickets: $54-$808 on StubHub
Season Series: Pistons 113, Magic 109 in Detroit on Oct. 19; Tonight in Detroit; Feb. 23 in Orlando; April 2 in Orlando
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 98.9 | 111.0 | 114.2 | 53.4 | 28.3 | 16.0 | 29.3 |
| Detroit | 100.1 | 110.2 | 117.9 | 51.3 | 29.6 | 14.5 | 30.8 |
OMD Prediction
The Orlando Magic undoubtedly were not thrilled with their effort on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. They got blitzed with effort, intensity and energy from a hungry Lakers team and they failed to match after withstanding those punches for much of the season so far (especially the last two weeks). Orlando did not have it and struggled to stay in the game.
The team has to be better consistently. On top of that then, the Magic are facing a team that will have the same motivation to prove themselves after a tough loss. The Detroit Pistons suffered an epic collapse to the LA Clippers on Monday and lost in overtime by 11 points.
This is a Pistons team at rock bottom. And no matter the team’s ability and skill level, they are an NBA team and a motivated NBA team at home against a team on a back-to-back is always a dangerous thing. The Magic are going to need their focus in this one.
3 Keys To Watch
Paolo bounceback
The one thing the Orlando Magic do not know much about their rookie forward at this point is how he responds to a bad game. The reality is he has not played very many bad games. Tuesday’s four-point effort was just the second time in his young career he had fewer than 10 points. A bad game for Banchero is scoring 15 points and shooting worse than 50 percent from the floor.
That is an insanely high bar. So there was a fair question to ask how Banchero would respond to a game like this where foul trouble — and perhaps the moment facing off with LeBron James — seemed to get to him.
Nobody seems worried about Banchero. After scoring nine points in the loss to the Toronto Raptors, Banchero scored 20 points on a poor 4-for-16 shooting in the loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Banchero averaged 21.8 points per game on 44.9-percent shooting in the next nine games where the team won eight.
Bojan consistency
Orlando Magic fans remember the opening night struggles to track veteran sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic scored 24 points and made six of 10 3-pointers. His 3-point shooting in the third quarter helped bring the Pistons back into the game and stake a lead the Magic needed to climb out of.
Bogdanovic has continued to play well for a Pistons team that has seen a revolving door of players. He is at 20.9 points per game on 40.9-percent shooting from deep. He has shown in his time with Croatia how he can take over games as the primary scorer.
This is still the guy to watch within this Pistons offense with Cade Cunningham out. The Magic will have to track Bogdanovic carefully and keep him contained to give themselves the advantage in this one.
Tracking rebounding
To that extent, one of the areas the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Orlando Magic on Tuesday was the team’s poor rebounding. The Magic had just a 69.8 defensive rebound rate in Tuesday’s loss. They had only 10 worse rebounding efforts this season with just one win in that bunch — the streak-busting victory over the LA Clippers.
Rebounding is critical for the Magic and their success and it is admittedly a place the team has been inconsistent with, especially in the immediate aftermath of Wendell Carter’s injury. The Magic were better on the glass especially when Moe Wagner returned but rebounding has still been an overall struggle for the team.
On the season, Orlando remains 11th in the league at a 72.5 percent defensive rebound rate. In the past 10 games, the Magic are 13th at a 73.2 percent defensive rebound rate. Orlando still has to improve its share of rebounds.
This is someplace the Detroit Pistons will challenge the Orlando Magic too. The Pistons are 11th with a 29.6 percent offensive rebound rate. They have some big bodies who can grab boards in Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren. Both were big factors in the win in October.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.