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Orlando Magic at Indiana Pacers: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch
Indiana | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
101.6 | Pace | 101.1 |
107.8 | Off. Rtg. | 114.5 |
116.7 | Def. Rtg. | 113.3 |
50.5 | eFG% | 52.9 |
27.9 | O.Reb.% | 31.7 |
13.8 | TO% | 13.6 |
28.3 | FTR | 32.1 |
1. Home cooking
The Orlando Magic have seemingly spent a lot of time on the road recently.
Orlando went to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinal, then went on a four-game West Coast trip, played two games at home before departing on a three-game trip.
Even Sunday's game is a short stop at the Kia Center before they play a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, D.C., and Brooklyn (that is the team's only back-to-back this month). Even with that, the trip to Berlin is on the horizon (the team is scheduled to depart a week from today after the game against the New Orleans Pelicans).
The Magic have slipped considerably in a lot of areas. And the team could use some time at home to get themselves right.
Quite simply, the Magic play better at home, as you would expect of most teams. And Orlando could use some home cooking right now.
Orlando has a 110.8 defensive rating at home, 2.5 points per 100 possessions better than its overall season average. Most of the team's numbers are better across the board. The lift from the home crowd is certainly a major factor.
Orlando has a solid 11-5 record at the Kia Center. The Magic would love to spend more time at home. They will take what they can get and everyone should expect them to play better.
2. Three-point struggles
Do not let recent games fool you, both the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic struggle greatly with their 3-point shooting.
The Magic rank 27th in the league shooting 33.9 percent. The Pacers rank last in the league at 33.2 percent. This could be a game that simply comes down to who shoots well.
That was a big factor in Wednesday's meeting. Orlando made only 3 of its 21 3-point attempts. Indiana made 12 of 35. That is still just 34.3 percent and not likely enough to win most games.
As if to prove a point, Orlando won the game it struggled to shoot and lost the game where it made 14 of 32 3-pointers, the fifth-best shooting game by percentage for the Magic this season.
This year, the Magic are 11-3 in games wher ethey shoot better than 35 percent from three. All the Magic have to do is hit a decent number of their relatively few three-pointers to have a chance to win.
Orlando remains the best team in the league at limiting three-point attempts. And so that helps with their three-point math.
Making shots is a simple formula for winning. It is the point of the game, after all. But it is always a thing the Magic have to worry about.
3. Paolo vs. the Pacers
Paolo Banchero likes playing the Indiana Pacers. Which is a crazy thing considering Pascal Siakam is considered one of the best wing defenders in the league. Something just fits his eye.
Banchero had a breakthrough 29-point performance against the Pacers on Wednesday that included him hitting some comfortable-looking mid-range jumpers. Banchero is looking more and more like himself.
And he seems to be doing that regularly against the Pacers now.
Banchero, of course, had his 50-point game last season against the Pacers. He had 13 rebounds and nine assists in that game too.
In seven career games against the Pacers, he averages 28.3 points per game and shoots 52.0 percent. Take out that 50-point game, and he still averages 24.7 points per game. Something about that jersey or defense clicks with him.
Orlando Magic vs. Indiana Pacers: Injury Report & Projected Lineups
Indiana Pacers Injury Report
- Tyrese Haliburton - OUT (Right Achilles Tendon Tear)
- Bennedict Mathurin - OUT (Right Thumb Sprain)
- Obi Toppin - OUT (Right Foot Stress Fracture)
- Isaiah Jackson - OUT (Concussion)
Orlando Magic Injury Report
- Franz Wagner - OUT (Left High Ankle Sprain)
- Jalen Suggs - OUT (Right Knee Grade 1 MCL Contusion)
- Moe Wagner - OUT (Left Knee Injury Recovery)
- Colin Castleton - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
Projected Starting Lineups
Indiana | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
Andrew Nembhard | PG | Tyus Jones |
Aaron Nesmith | SG | Desmond Bane |
Johnny Furphy | SF | Anthony Black |
Pascal Siakam | PF | Paolo Banchero |
Micah Potter | C | Wendell Carter |
Orlando Magic vs. Indiana Pacers: Prediction
Our Record: 20-15/14-21 ATS
The Orlando Magic are just very inconsistent right now. There is no other way to put it.
They have not won or lost consecutive games since the NBA Cup loss to the New York Knicks and the loss to the Denver Nuggets to open their West Coast trip.
If that pattern maintains, the Orlando Magic would win this one and send the Indiana Pacers to their 12th straight loss.
You always get a bit nervous playing against teams on such a long losing streak. They are extra motivated to snap that losing streak. The Magic will need a strong effort.
Orlando has typically responded well to poor efforts. It has been making it stick that matters. That has been the struggle recently.
Playing without Jalen Suggs will only make things tougher for the Magic. Suggs is the team's defensive heartbeat, and there is a significant drop-off defensively when he is on the floor. But barring a hot game from the Pacers, they are not a team that will take advantage of that.
If the Magic play with poise and some level of intensity, they should be able to win. But Orlando has let clarifying moments quickly turn into disaster lately. No one should count on rolling into the Kia Center and easing to a win. The Magic have to work for everything right now.
The Magic should use some energy from the home crowd to weather the storm and, perhaps, find their footing again.
Paolo Banchero has appeared to find his footing again and so long as he is consistently scoring and getting some support from Anthony Black or Desmond Bane, the Magic should come out on top still.