5 most important games on the Orlando Magic’s schedule
By Alfred Ezman
5 most essential matchups on the Orlando Magic’s schedule
Jan. 2: at Golden State Warriors
March 27: vs. Golden State Warriors
The Jan. 2 matchup is the middle game in a four-game west coast road trip for Orlando around the time of New Year’s Day. Here, they are featured in a game against the Golden State Warriors who are a big name within the realm of recent NBA history.
Surprisingly enough, Orlando swept Golden State last season, earning the team’s first win at Chase Center, albeit with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson sitting out.
This continues what is now a three-game win streak on Golden State. The Magic have also beaten the Warriors five times in a row at the Amway Center where they will play this season on March 27.
In last season’s two matchups, the Magic were able to beat the Warriors in a variety of ways.
In the first matchup in Orlando, the team was able to out-rebound Golden State with a differential of 11 as this swayed a tight 130-129 win.
Jalen Suggs was the key factor in that game finishing with 26 points, nine assists and four steals which showed what he can do at his peak. He hit the go-ahead three and had a key steal both with under a minute to go in a tight game.
Inthe second, they were able to shoot lights out against the Warriors going 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point land.
Golden State did not have Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson in that game which caused the Warriors to struggle to find consistent shooting across the board.
Still, every win counts. And wins on the road against elite competition are still pretty important.
The Magic can get a strong-looking road win during a west coast trip during New Year’s as they showed they could do so against a good franchise last season.