Pregame Report from AdventHealth Training Center
ORLANDO – Coming out of the NBA’s All-Star break, the Orlando Magic find themselves in the hunt to make the league’s play-in tournament.
After a 5-20 start, Orlando has gone 19-15 over its last 34 contests and is just four games behind the Toronto Raptors for the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference with only the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers sandwiched in between them.
Hoping to turn their postseason dreams into reality, the Magic (24-35) will attempt to set the tone for the final stretch of the season and earn a victory over the Detroit Pistons (15-44) when the two teams go head-to-head on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
“We get to take these last twenty-three games and actually play for something,” said Magic rookie Paolo Banchero, who appeared both in the Jordan Rising Stars and Kia Skills Challenge during All-Star weekend. “We have to be ready every game. Our schedule is not easy. We’re going to have a lot of tough games, a lot of tough road trips, so we have to be ready. But we can do it. We feel like we can beat anybody in the league. We just have to be locked in and focused as a group.”
That mindset will be essential against a Detroit squad that’s 2-0 against Orlando this season.
The Pistons are No. 1 in the NBA in both free throws made (21.0) and attempted (27.1) per game. They also crash the offensive glass, grabbing 10.9 boards on that end per contest. That helps fuel a unit that ranks top 10 in second chance points per game with 15.0 of them per outing.
“Defensive rebounding (is going to be key),” said Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. “Our two games we lost to them this year came from them getting a lot of offensive rebounds. (We also have to) take away the three-point line. Alec Burks lit us up the second game and (Bojan) Bogdanovic lit us up the first game. So, I think just the mixture of running shooters off of the line and finishing possessions, that’s what’s going to be the recipe for us to get the victory tonight.”
Bogdanovic was on a tear heading into the break, averaging a team-high 31.0 points per contest over Detroit’s last three games. Pistons center Jalen Duren is leading all rookies in rebounding this season, grabbing 8.7 boards per contest with 3.3 of them on the offensive end.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “That’s kind of what we’ve been talking about throughout the break. Everybody just stepped away from the game because when we come back, it’s all business. We’re trying to get into the playoffs and change the narrative of the Orlando Magic. That’s what we’re all kind of locked in on and we’re all on the same page.” – Carter on the Magic’s push for the postseason
IN AND OUT: Only Caleb Houstan, who is on a G League assignment, is unavailable for Orlando for tonight’s game.
For Detroit, Marvin Bagley III (right hand; metacarpal fractures) is doubtful, while Buddy Boeheim (G League – Two-Way), Cade Cunningham (left tibia; stress fracture), Nerlens Noel (not with team), and Jared Rhoden (G League – Two-Way) are out.
KEY STAT: At the All-Star break, Magic games on Bally Sports Florida are averaging 122 percent more household impressions in the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne television market than at this point last year. Ratings are up 81 percent within the local designated market area and viewership for adults 18 and over is up 85 percent, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Read more about that here.
HOW TO WATCH: Watch the game on Bally Sports Florida or tune in on radio via FM 96.9 The Game.