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- Tickets: $13-$285+ on StubHub
- Season Series: Bulls 102, Magic 99 on Oct. 30 in Chicago; Magic 133, Bulls 119 in Orlando on Nov. 27; Tonight in Orlando
Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch
Chicago | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
103.5 | Pace | 96.6 |
111.9 | Off. Rtg. | 107.4 |
116.2 | Def. Rtg. | 109.2 |
54.8 | eFG% | 50.3 |
25.9 | O.Reb.% | 30.5 |
14.3 | TO% | 15.0 |
20.7 | FTR | 27.3 |
3. A rough homestand
Coming out of the All-Star Break, it felt like the Orlando Magic had to make their move. These seven games at the Kia Center were a chance for the Magic to re-establish their identity and build some wins to get to the end of the season. With four games against opponents under .500, this felt like the chance to build and grow.
The Magic dropped the ball, plain an simple.
They are 1-5 through the first six games, scoring a blowout win over the Washington Wizards after a shaky first half. They have mostly close losses—losing to the Memphis Grizzlies when they could not call a timeout in the dying seconds; a close loss to the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors; a pair of close defeats to the Toronto Raptors. But they also faced big deficits and blew huge leads in those games.
During this homestand, the Magic have a 108.1 offensive rating and 113.9 defensive rating. Being at home—and coming out of the All-Star Break—did not help the Magic get themselves right. And a big road trip is coming up with four playoff-level opponents.
This was simply a missed opportunity and makes Thursday's game against the Chicago Bulls a must-win.
2. Who wants the 10?
The biggest question in the NBA's Eastern Conference is not who will fill in the Play-In Tournament. The NBA hopes to avoid this question. The Miami Heat are on pace for 39 wins to win the seventh seed, and the Magic are on pace for 38 wins right behind them.
The 10-seed Bulls? They are on pace for 32 wins. Yuck.
And the Bulls are not helping themselves.
They have lost nine of their last 11 and 19 of their last 26 games, but nobody seems to want the 10-seed. The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers keep losing, too. The Toronto Raptors are back in the race, but they keep losing except for this weekend.
The Bulls, like the Raptors, seem to be doing a quiet quit here too. The Raptors pulled their veteran starters from the end of Tuesday's game and let rookies A.J. Lawson and Ja'Kobe Walter lead them to the win.
Chicago has many of its veterans listed as QUESTIONABLE and former Orlando center Nikola Vucevic as DOUBTFUL with a calf strain. Vucevic has missed the last five games.
1. Help please?
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were simply stellar in the Orlando Magic's loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. It is hard to fault them for anything that happened in those two games or really any game since the All-Star Break (except for Franz Wagner's missed layup against the Memphis Grizzlies).
Banchero poured in 41 points in Tuesday's loss to the Raptors. He is averaging 29.6 points per game and shooting 47.8 percent from the floor, hopefully quieting concerns about his efficiency. Franz Wagner has joined him with 24.6 points per game and had 28 in Tuesday's loss.
The issue right now is they have no help. And with Cole Anthony's status still up in the air with a left big toe strain, they have even less offensive firepower.
In the seven games since the All-Star Break, Anthony is the only other player scoring in double figures with 10.5 points per game.
Take out Banchero and Wagner's heavy usage, and the team is shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and 32.5 percent from three since the break.
Orlando is missing key offensive creators and players in Jalen Suggs and Moe Wagner. The team's biggest flaw is it does not have consistent scoring or offensive-minded players to fill in when those key pieces go out. That is a clear need looking ahead to the offseason.
For now, Banchero and Wagner need to find a consistent running mate to help them push this team forward.
Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic: Injury Report & Projected Lineups
Chicago Bulls Injury Report
- Nikola Vucevic - DOUBTFUL (Right Calf Strain)
- Josh Giddey - QUESTIONABLE (Left Quadricep Contusion)
- Lonzo Ball - QUESTIONABLE (Right Wrist Sprain)
- Ayo Dosunmnu - OUT (Left Shoulder Surgery)
- Patrick Williams - QUESTIONABLE (Right Quadricep Tendon Tendinosis)
- Kevin Huerter - QUESTIONABLE (Right Knee Sprain)
Orlando Magic Injury Report
- Jalen Suggs - OUT (Left Knee Trochlea Cartilage Tear)
- Moe Wagner - OUT (Left Knee Torn ACL)
- Cole Anthony - QUESTIONABLE (Left Big Toe Strain)
- Ethan Thompson - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
Projected Lineups
Chicago | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
Tre Jones | PG | Cory Joseph |
Coby White | SG | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope |
Dalen Terry | SF | Franz Wagner |
Matas Buzelis | PF | Paolo Banchero |
Zach Collins | C | Wendell Carter |
Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic: Prediction
Our Record: 35-28/30-33 ATS
It is getting really hard to believe in the Orlando Magic right now.
They need a game to prove themselves and prove they can handle even teams that are not trying to win. After all, the Toronto Raptors pulled all of their veteran starters in the fourth quarter, opening the door for the Orlando Magic to come back but also exposing them to a frustrating loss when those deep bench players performed and hit critical shots.
The Magic have not been playing like a playoff team for months now. They have not been able to string together consecutive wins. The only opponents they have beaten are the teams that are blatantly tanking.
That might be the Chicago Bulls, even though they still hold the 10-seed. They have listed all of their key veterans (besides Coby White) as QUESTIONABLE with some injury. It sure seems like they are trying their best to give their playoff spot away.
The Bulls will still play hard. White is still a dangerous scorer -- and remains on the top of many Magic fans' wish lists for the offseason. Matas Buzelis is having a good burst as a rookie with all of this playing time.
Ultimately, the difference between the Chicago Bulls and the Toronto Raptors is simple: The Raptors have much more size to keep the Magic from the rim. Orlando should be able to bully Chicago with its size so long as Orlando does not commit too many fouls or give up control over the pace and allow a bunch of threes.