Orlando at Oklahoma City
Time: 7 PM CT (NBA LP)
Spread: OKC -9.5
Total: 223
Odds c/o 5dimes
ORL TEAM NOTES:
The Orlando Magic have lost seven of its last 10 games. The Magic are now nine games under .500, and it is one of many teams expected to be very active at the trade deadline. Orlando has been utilizing D.J. Augustin as its starting point guard all season, and while Augustin has certainly played well, he is best as a second unit guy, lacking the size and strength to cover the bigger 1s in the Association.
To address this, the Magic are expected to make a run at Dallas Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr. Smith is the son of former Magic player Otis Smith, so perhaps that gives the Magic an edge on the multitude of other teams bidding for his services. In just his second season, Smith has a lot of room for improvement but just as much of that elusive “potential;” Dallas simply feels it best to develop the immense talents of rookie Luka Doncic, which is what has made Smith expendable (seemingly).
The Magic have mostly run its offense through center Nikola Vucevic this season. He is averaging a career-high 3.8 assists per game to go with his 20.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.07 blocks/steals per game. In theory, those are All-Star numbers, but with Orlando lingering under .500 and on the outside of the playoff picture, it might not be enough to earn “Vooch” a bid, after all. There is also speculation that the Magic could possibly part with him, though he is its best player.
Orlando drafted center Mo Bamba with the No. 6 pick in the 2018 draft, and while Bamba is somewhat raw, he has exhibited enough potential that the Magic easily could turn to him as a starter to accelerate his development. He seems to fit nicely alongside the forwards Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac, though Gordon and Isaac are essentially both power forwards. It has worked reasonably well, but the Magic could use a “three and ‘D’” defender more than playing a 4-man out of position.
The problem is that just about half the teams in the league are in search of that coveted prototype.??No matter what the case, the Magic have some potential residing on its roster, but without addressing the hole at point guard and the need for some perimeter lockdown defenders, it likely will miss the postseason for the seventh consecutive season. There is promise in this John Hammond-led rebuild, but it will be intriguing to see just what he does in February at the trade deadline.
The Magic are unlikely to sit idle being on the cusp of being a playoff team: The right move could improve it enough to sneak into the postseason, which at this point is actually a priority because the fanbase and organization needs it after suffering so much since the departure of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard in 2012.
OKC TEAM NOTES:
Oklahoma City has now climbed to within four games of the Western Conference lead, as it is seeded No. 3 and trails No. 2 Denver by just half a game. The Thunder have won five straight games and are 17-7 at home this season. OKC has posted a 15-5 mark against Eastern Conference teams.
The Thunder’s five-game winning streak has seen OKC knock off Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and most recently, the Milwaukee Bucks. It won 118-112 over the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks, as Paul George scored 36 points on 12 of 21 shooting (8 of 12 from three-point range). George also had 13 boards in the game, and he finished with a +16 mark for his 38 minutes of play.
All other starters reached double figures, and the Thunder won despite a 5 of 20 shooting performance from Russell Westbrook, who also had 11 assists and 13 boards in another triple-double. Westbrook is averaging a triple-double for the third straight season, despite his point production dipping to “only” 22 per contest this season.
The reason Westbrook’s scoring has dipped is that George has been sensational.
Over the Thunder’s last 10 games, George has averaged 28.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in addition to coming up with 2.6 steals per night. OKC has won just six of those 10 games, but the most recent five were all ‘Ws.’ George is averaging 27.1 points per game on the season and over the five-game win streak he has averaged 31.4 points per game and shot 48 percent from the field.
