Here is what you need to know before the Lakers complete the season’s first back-to-back in Orlando.
1)
After missing his first game of the season in Tuesday’s loss to Miami, Kobe Bryant is also out for the second leg of the back-to-back against the Magic. Bryant said on Tuesday that back soreness made it difficult for him to walk prior to that day's game.
2)
This Veterans Day matchup is especially meaningful for Jordan Clarkson, whose father, Mike, served in the Air Force.
3)
The Lakers were scorching from 3-point range against Miami, going 11-of-22 from deep. Nick Young (5-of-9) and Metta World Peace (4-of-4) led the way, combining to hit all of their first nine attempts.
4)
The Magic are led by first-year head coach Scott Skiles. Though he may be new in Orlando, Skiles has 13 seasons of head-coaching experience in Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee. In his first season, he led the Suns to the 2000 Western Conference Semifinals, though they lost in five games to the eventual championship-winning Lakers.
5)
The Magic could be without center Nikola Vucevic (bone bruise), who is averaging 15.8 points per game and leads the NBA in post-up scoring (7.4). Like Vucevic, who has missed three straight games, Jason Smith (sore left knee) is listed as questionable.
6)
Having four sophomores and one rookie, the Magic trot out the NBA’s second-youngest roster with an average age of 23.8 years old.
7)
With such youth, it’s no wonder that Orlando boasts some of the game’s speediest players. Victor Oladipo covers 2.9 miles of ground per game, which leads the entire league. Right behind him is teammate Evan Fournier (2.8). Meanwhile, Elfrid Payton’s average playing speed (4.8 mph) ties for the second-fastest in the NBA.
8)
As one of three players with a triple-double this season, Oladipo has stood out with a versatile skill set. He tallies 16.1 points and 4.3 assists per game, while leading all guards in rebounds (7.5) and his team in steals (1.8).
9)
After averaging 12.0 points last season, it seems Fournier has made a leap in his fourth year, currently putting out a team-best 19.0 points. The Frenchman also paces Orlando in 3-pointers (2.4) and percentage on 3’s (38.8).
10)
The fifth pick in this year’s draft, Mario Hezonja, has crawled out to a slow start in his rookie season. The 20-year-old has the league’s fifth-lowest player efficiency rating* (2.25), which is also last among those averaging at least 14 minutes per game.
*Player efficiency rating is a measure of a players positive and negative accomplishments, with the league average set at 15.