Orlando Magic at Denver Nuggets (Feb. 6, 2025): 3 Things to Watch, Odds, and Prediction

• How To Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Florida (Orlando), Altitude 2 (Denver), NBA League Pass
• STREAM MAGIC-NUGGETS ON FUBO TV
• How to Listen: WYGM 96.9 FM/740 AM (Orlando), Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM (Denver), NBA Audio League Pass, SiriusXM Channel 213 (Nuggets)
• FOLLOW LIVE: @OMAGICDAILY
• Tickets: $20-$332+ on StubHub
• Season Series: Nuggets 113, Magic 100 in Orlando on Jan. 19; Tonight in Denver

Orlando Magic vs. Denver Nuggets: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch

3. The Trade Deadline

This post is being written before Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline. So some information here may be out of date or might need to be edited. The deadline has the chance to change things dramatically and make a lot of what I am about to write moot (I try for universal themes rather than player-specific themes).

The Magic's lineup may be quite different than what everyone expects. But the Magic will still have their core players in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. And those two players when they play well give them a chance. Especially if the team plays with energy.

Energy like they played Wednesday when Banchero had 23 points and nine assists and Wagner scored 16 of his 31 points in the third quarter with four 3-pointers. The Magic still have those star players and they can get a lot of energy playing off of them.

What really flipped in Wednesday's game was how well the Magic played at speed. Both Banchero and Wagner made quicker decisions and attacked faster.

Regardless of who is in or out of the lineup, if Banchero and Wagner play this well, they have a chance to win.

2. Michael Porter Jr. on fire

When facing the Denver Nuggets, everyone is worried about a lot of offensive weapons. Everything starts with Nikola Jokic, who had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in 30 minutes in the meeting in January. He is difficult to deal with for so many reasons. They have Jamal Murray too, who can be a dynamic scorer. Then off the bench is Russell Westbrook who has found a renaissance as a passer and cutter within this Nuggets offense (he is OUT at the moment).

Denver has the third-best offensive rating in the league. The reason is they have so many aggressive, offensive-minded players and willing passers to make it work.

The player to watch right now is Michael Porter Jr.

Porter is averaging 18.7 points per game and shooting 41.2 percent from three this season. In his last 10 games, he is averaging 20.6 points per game, 54.2 percent shooting and 41.2 percent shooting from three.

He scored 36 and 39 points in the Denver Nuggets' last two games (both against the New Orleans Pelicans at home). Porter is as dynamic a weapon as any on the Nuggets.

Must be nice to have so many guys who can score.

1. More than one day?

Every Orlando Magic player and coach Jamahl Mosley have preached the Magic were getting good looks and they just needed to trust their work and make shots.

There was something to that. For the season, Orlando is 11th in the league in generating "wide open" 3-point shots (where the closest defender is 6+ feet away) at 19.6 attempts per game.

Of course, some of that might be teams willing to leave them open. The Magic are a league-worst 32.6 percent on those shots. And since the start of January, the Magic are getting only 16th in the league with 18.4 attempts per game. The ball movement and confidence have decreased.

Wednesday's win over the Sacramento Kings was needed relief. The Magic shot 16 for 31 from three, the first time the team shot better than 50 percent from three since the Nov. 29 win over the Brooklyn Nets. It was just the third time shooting better than 40 percent from three since Jan 1.

The Magic got a lot of good looks and made them, making 8 of 15 of those wide-open three pointers.

So how much of that was just some shooting luck and a good game? That was part of it. Every team is due for a good shooting night. And the Magic made the most of their looks in this one.

Now they just have to do it again.

Orlando Magic vs. Denver Nuggets: Injury Report & Projected Lineups

Orlando Magic Injury Report

• Jalen Suggs - DOUBTFUL (Left Quad Contusion)
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - QUESTIONABLE (Left Hamstring Soreness)
• Moe Wagner - OUT (Torn Left ACL)
• Gary Harris - QUESTIONABLE (Left Hamstring Injury Maintenance)
• Mac McClung - OUT (G-League Two-Way)

Denver Nuggets Injury Report (From Wednesday)

• Aaron Gordon - QUESTIONABLE (Right Calf Injury Management)
• Russell Westbrook - OUT (Left Hamstring Strain)
• Peyton Watson - OUT (Right Knee Sprain)
• Vlatko Cancar - OUT (Left Knee Surgery Rehabilitation)
• DaRon Holmes - OUT (Right Achilles Tendon Repair)

Projected Lineups

Orlando Magic vs. Denver Nuggets: Prediction

Our Record: 29-23/24-28 ATS

The Orlando Magic have said they want to celebrate little victories as they try to get out of this rut. They want to hold onto the little victories and find those moments of glory. So taking the 15-point comeback in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors and the entirety of the Sacramento Kings game was a sign the team is heading in a better direction.

The question is whether the Magic can carry that momentum. And that is difficult to do. But hopefully, it is all a sign the Magic are moving in the right direction.

They may have to hunt for little victories in this game. The Magic playing a back-to-back with some difficult travel and traveling East to play in altitude in Denver is not easy. Winning this game would be a sign the Magic are back in every facet.

But the Denver Nuggets are really dynamic on defense. And the Magic's defense is not playing at an elite level right now. Orlando will have its work cut out for it.

But at some point, the Magic have to step up to the plate. That is what is on the line in Denver. But the Magic seem to be heading in a better direction entering a critical stretch at home for the rest of the month.