- How To Watch: Amazon Prime Video (National)
- STREAM MAGIC-GRIZZLIES ON FUBO TV
- How to Listen: WYGM 96.9 FM (Orlando); 740AM (Orlando); 92.9 FM ESPN Radio (Memphis); 680AM Sports Radio (Memphis); Sirius XM Channel 86 (Grizzlies); NBA Audio League Pass (National)
- FOLLOW LIVE: @OMAGICDAILY
- Tickets: $205-$1,293+ on StubHub
- Season Series: Magic 118, Grizzlies 111 in Berlin on Jan. 15; Today in London
Orlando Magic vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch
Orlando | Memphis | |
|---|---|---|
100.7 | Pace | 101.5 |
114.5 | Off. Rtg. | 112.5 |
113.4 | Def. Rtg. | 114.0 |
52.9 | eFG% | 52.7 |
32.2 | O.Reb.% | 32.0 |
13.9 | TO% | 15.1 |
31.5 | FTR | 25.9 |
1. Anthony Black's spotlight
By now, the over/under on the number of times Orlando Magic fans have watched Anthony Black's dunk from the end of Thursday's game has to be verging on triple digits. It was a highlight moment on an international stage.
It has become more evidence of Black's emergence as more than simply a nice young player the Magic are developing.
Black finished Thursday's game with 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists (with only one turnover). Black has become a far more reliable player and an essential piece to the Magic's survival.
Anthony Black is averaging 19.6 points per game and 5.3 assists per game with 39.8 percent 3-point shooting in the last 17 games (since Franz Wagner first was injured).
There is a stunning level of consistency to his play. And even when it looked like he was starting to fade, he found himself again.
Black has become an essential piece to the Magic. He is playing with loads of confidence and is another offensive weapon for an Orlando team that suddenly has a whole lot of places to turn with the ball.
It does not seem like this is going away and Black will be someone the team relies on a whole lot more.
2. Ja Morant returns
The conspiracy theorists will say Ja Morant has been healthy for a while and that he is being held out to protect his trade status. They will say that the only reason Ja Morant is playing is because commissioner Adam Silver was specifically asked about him and said he wished he were playing Thursday in Berlin.
Morant is slated to return after a six-game absence Sunday in London.
It has been a weird season for Morant. He has played in 18 games, but just seven of the last 27 games. He has been in and out of the lineup. That has left him averaging only 19.0 points per game and shooting 40.1 percent from the floor.
Morant is still plenty capable of playing at the All-Star level he was at only a few years ago. But he has also struggled to click with the team's fast-paced offense.
Memphis has a -7.4 net rating with Morant on the floor, including a woeful 107.5 offensive rating. That is the opposite of what you would expect with an offensive dynamo like Morant.
Some of this is certainly the nature of his injury and his being in and out of the lineup. But Morant has been a shell of himself this season.
The Grizzlies might not be so happy that he is back.
3. Turnover up and down
The Orlando Magic have been inconsistent in a lot of areas lately. The biggest piece right now is their turnovers.
Orlando ranks ninth in the league now with a 13.9 percent turnover rate. The team is 13th with a 13.5 percent turnover rate in the last 10 games. That points to how up and down the team has been.
Thursday was a down game. The Magic had a 15.8 percent turnover rate. It was a poor game for the Magic in general. But it was hardly the worst the Magic have had recently.
The Grizzlies scored 19 points off those turnovers. The Magic are fourth in the league giving up just 16.4 points off turnovers per game. Until a few weeks ago, the Magic's ability to protect possessions and not turn the ball over was one of the team's biggest strengths and superpowers.
Memphis is not a heavy turnover team. The Grizzlies force a 14.3 percent turnover rate and score 16.6 points off turnovers per game. That made Thursday an outlier game for both teams. The Magic should be better protecting the ball.
Orlando Magic vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Injury Report & Projected Lineups
Orlando Magic Injury Report
- Jalen Suggs - OUT (Right Knee MCL Contusion)
- Jett Howard - QUESTIONABLE (Illness)
- Colin Castleton - OUT (Left Thumb Fracture)
Memphis Grizzlies Injury Report
- Ja Morant - PROBABLE (Right Calf Contusion)
- Zach Edey - OUT (Left Ankle Stress Reaction)
- Brandon Clarke - OUT (Right Calf Strain)
- Santi Aldama - QUESTIONABLE (Right Calf Contusion)
- Ty Jerome - OUT (Right Calf Strain)
- Scotty Pippen Jr. - OUT (Left Great Toe Surgery Recovery)
Projected Starting Lineups
Orlando | Memphis | |
|---|---|---|
Anthony Black | PG | Ja Morant |
Desmond Bane | SG | Jaylen Wells |
Franz Wagner | SF | Cedric Coward |
Paolo Banchero | PF | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
Wendell Carter | C | Jock Landale |
Orlando Magic vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Prediction
Our Record: 25-16/18-23 ATS
We have seemingly been asking for the better part of a month if this will be the moment the Orlando Magic finally turn the corner.
This moment and this win felt like it would be enough to build some momentum, only for the Magic to drop the ball and revert to bad habits and inconsistency. The team fell into an uncomfortable pattern of responding to its missteps at least.
That seemed to be the direction the Magic were heading when they fell behind by 20 in the first half of Thursday's game. But then they responded. They made a 30-point turnaround, reminding everyone just how good they can be.
Orlando still has some fourth-quarter issues to resolve. The team is not fully in sync quite yet.
And Franz Wagner still being on a minute restriction will put a ceiling on the Magic for now. But the team locked in to attention to close the game and secure the victory.
Maybe this is the moment, and this is the trip where the Magic turn things around. Seeing is believing.