NBA In-Season Tournament: Orlando Magic have an opportunity to make waves in Group C

The in-season tournament is in full swing and it gives fans excitement early on in the season and also gives all 30 NBA teams a chance to show what they can do if something (the NBA Cup) is needed to be played for.

For the Orlando Magic, a team looking to push itself back into playoff contention at the end of this season, it provides practice for the young roster to compete for a title.

The games already have shown some exciting action with brand-new alternate courts and wins needed to not only fill up the standings columns but also to fight for a chance at the In-Season Tournament title in Las Vegas.

The In-Season Tournament is quickly coming for the Orlando Magic. In one week, the team will start its journey as they try to win a challenging but open Eastern Conference Group C.

The Orlando Magic have some favorable matchups in their group for the inaugural In-Season Tournament in the NBA. They not only played each of these teams well at certain points throughout last season but they also have the defensive prowess to make each of these group games close.

The Magic have gotten off to a hot start this season. They have one of the best defenses in the league. And while the Boston Celtics are the league’s juggernaut to this point in the season, the Orlando Magic certainly should feel competitive heading into their set of games.

Even though the Magic are dealing with some early season injuries at this point in the year, they figure to be in the fight for at least a Wild Card spot to get to the quarterfinals.

The reality is everyone is still figuring out what this whole In-Season Tournament thing is. There has just been one game day played and so far, it has not felt too different. Not yet at least.

Before the matchups later in the month, here is a look at each of Orlando’s East Group C opponents.

Orlando Magic In-Season Tournament Preview

Brooklyn Nets

Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. in Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Nets will be the Orlando Magic’s first matchup in their In-Season Tournament group play schedule and could well be the early tiebreaker for the Magic in their quest to secure at least a Wild Card spot to the quarterfinals.

Both the Magic and the Nets have gotten off to strong starts with the Magic establishing themselves on defense and the Nets establishing themselves offensively. It will make for a good clash of styles when they face each other next Tuesday.

Last season, the Nets got the better of the Magic winning two of their three matchups. However, the teams split two games after the Kevin Durant trade in February.

Brooklyn won its two games at home, holding Orlando to less than 105 points in both matchups including just 84 points in the win they got over them on April 7 at the very end of the season when the Magic were sitting their starters having been eliminated from playoff contention.

The Nets this season have been built around their offense. They are ninth overall in the NBA in offensive rating as opposed to their defensive rating which sits at 24th overall in the league. However, Orlando’s defense has been on point and it may create a very good test not only for them but also for Brooklyn.

Mikal Bridges has taken some time to get going. But the revelation for the Nets this year has been Cam Thomas who took his scoring burst from last year and turned it into something consistent this year. He is averaging 26.0 points per game entering Monday’s game.

Playing good defense on the road in the NBA is a must and it will be a must when Orlando tips off group play of the in-season tournament in the Barclays Center.

Orlando Magic In-Season Tournament Preview

Chicago Bulls

Nov. 17, 8 p.m. at Chicago

The Orlando Magic will be in Chicago on Nov. 17 for their second In-Season Tournament matchup. They also will play each other in the United Center two days prior for a standard regular season game as well. This game will be vital as the two teams will get a look at each other before In-Season group play — not to mention set up future potential tiebreakers for the Play-In Tournament at the end of the season.

Last season, Orlando took the season series over Chicago winning 2-1. That included a huge buzzer-beating win over the Bulls in Chicago as one of the highlights of the season. Orlando has already had some strong moments against Chicago to start the season.

Overall, the Bulls have not gotten off to a hot start in 2023.

They are toward the bottom of the league in both team offensive and defensive ratings (26th and 23rd respectively). They are not a high-scoring team (averaging 105 points per game as a team) which feeds into the Magic’s ability to play suffocating defense.

The chances for Orlando will be great as they seem to thrive in tight, defensive contests and the game in Chicago may turn in that direction.

Orlando Magic In-Season Tournament Preview

Toronto Raptors

Nov. 21, 7 p.m. at Orlando

Orlando Magic will host the Toronto Raptors for their group play game the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Last season, the Raptors and Magic saw each other four times and split the season series. Orlando won both matchups in the Amway Center.

The three-point shot is a point of emphasis for this group game matchup. The Raptors are struggling offensively, but this is still a team that can be dangerous from beyond the arc.

Entering Monday’s game, Toronto is making only 33.5 percent of the team’s 3-point attempts, 28th in the league, and taking only 32.0 per game, 22nd in the league. The hallmark of previous Raptors teams have been their 3-point shooting and this team just seems stuck in a rut early on this year.

One thing that has not changed about Toronto is the team’s ability to force turnovers and score in transition. That will still be an important part of the matchup in this one.

The Magic will have to take care of the ball when looking for this shot too as the Raptors are a very good defensive team (top 10 in the league so far in defensive rating) and they average right around 19.5 points per game of off turnovers which ranks sixth in the league.

Orlando can also really rely on their defense this game as the Raptors are in the bottom half of the league (17th) in offensive rating.

Orlando Magic In-Season Tournament Preview

Boston Celtics

Nov. 24, 2:30 p.m. at Orlando

The Boston Celtics come in as one of the premier and contending teams in the Eastern Conference. Their group play game against the Magic is Nov. 24 at the Amway Center for a 2:30 p.m. E.T. tip-off.

Surprisingly, Orlando took three out of four against Boston last season, including a weekend sweep in Boston to cap off Orlando’s season-saving six-game win streak. That was the first time in three seasons the Magic won a season series against the Celtics.

The last time they played the Celtics was a 113-98 win in the Amway Center back in January. The Magic were very efficient shooting in that game as well as another win in TD Garden they got over the Celtics on Dec. 16, 2022. They shot better than 45 percent in those two wins.

Much like Orlando, Boston is a top five defensive team in the NBA so far this season based off of defensive rating. Granted, this game is still some weeks away but this shapes the matchup up to be a defensive battle that may come down to who can be the team to score better.

As for the offense that Boston provides, they are currently the third best offensive team in the NBA 124.8 points per 100 possessions. Orlando’s top-ranked defense will need to be on point when this team comes to Orlando the Friday after Thanksgiving.

There are favorable factors in each of Orlando’s matchups with the other teams in East Group C. The defense the Magic have shown can keep them within fighting distance of each of these teams and it will make for intriguing basketball that could potentially send them to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup.

My prediction is that due to the good matchups against these squads last season and the defense Orlando can play to stop these teams, the Magic will take the first three games and lose the final one to the Celtics who sit at the top of the NBA as far as the best teams go.

That may be enough to put the Magic into a wild card spot for Las Vegas.