Date: Thursday, August 13, 2020
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: VISA ATHLETIC CENTER, Orlando, FL
TV: FOX Sports Florida
Mobile: FOX Sports GO
Radio: 96.9 FM the Game / 98.1 SALSA Y MAS
ORLANDO -- The Orlando Magic close out their NBA restart seeding schedule on Thursday when they go head-to-head with the New Orleans Pelicans.
In terms of playoff positioning, there’s nothing at stake in this contest. The Magic have secured the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, while the Pelicans have been eliminated from postseason contention.
However, there’s still plenty of work to be done for Orlando, which would like to head into its upcoming playoff matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks with some momentum and playing a brand of basketball that could make it a factor in the series.
“It’s a game so we’re definitely going to go in there and play hard, but also we want to turn our mind to who we have to play first round and that’s Milwaukee,” Magic forward James Ennis said. “I feel like we have to go forward and practice our habits starting from practices to games and just (keep) preparing ourselves for Milwaukee.”
Part of that mentality will be continuing to emphasize ball security and movement on the offensive end of the floor. Out of character – likely, in part, due to lineup rotations heavily altered by injuries – the Magic have struggled in both of those areas in the last two contests. Per Stathead, Tuesday’s contest against the Nets marked the first time that Orlando had at least 17 turnovers and no more than 13 assists in a game since recording 19 turnovers and 13 assists against Toronto on Dec. 18, 2016.
In and Out: The heavily shorthanded Magic are hopeful that they’ll have a number of players return to action for the postseason. But against the Pelicans, they’ll still be without many high-impact players. Michael Carter-Williams (strained tendon, left foot), Evan Fournier (illness, non-Covid-19), Aaron Gordon (strained left hamstring) and Terrence Ross (NBA quarantine protocol) are all listed as out for the seeding finale.
Mo Bamba, who missed Tuesday’s contest due to migraines, “felt a lot better” and was able to participate in practice according to head coach Steve Clifford.
Key Quote: “I’m very excited. It’s everything that we could want. You’ve got to beat the best to be the best. We’re excited for this challenge and this opportunity. I’m just doing everything I can to be as healthy as I possibly can be, so I can be at a hundred percent for this.” – Gordon on the team’s playoff matchup with Milwaukee. He added that “he’ll be ready” for the team’s playoff series.
Rivals Report: For this Rivals Report, I brought in another special guest, Pelicans.com writer Jim Eichenhofer to answer three questions about his squad. Jim has been with the New Orleans organization since 2005 and is always one of my favorite scribes to catch up with during All-Star Weekend, the NBA Draft, or when the Magic swing by his city.
Who's stood out for New Orleans since the NBA restart:
It’s undoubtedly been a disappointing trip to your beautiful city for New Orleans, which began seeding games with hopes of reaching the play-in round, but instead will end up playing twice after already being mathematically eliminated. I don’t think anyone around the league would’ve imagined that was possible when this event began July 30. Not many Pelicans have performed at or above the level they demonstrated during the pre-pandemic portion of the regular season, but reserve guard Frank Jackson has been a big plus lately. The second-year pro from Duke has provided energy and production off the bench, averaging 7.9 points in seven games, including 18 points Tuesday vs. Sacramento and 13 in a win last week over Washington. Another member of the Pelicans’ five-man contingent of former Duke Blue Devils, center Jahlil Okafor appeared in his first game of the NBA restart against the Kings and dominated, scoring 21 points in 25 minutes. Although he did not play Tuesday and may not Thursday, a name familiar to Magic fans, JJ Redick, has sometimes been New Orleans’ most effective player over these past two weeks.
What’s the Pelicans focus for their final seeding game:
The main objective is to continue to give opportunities to players like Jackson, Okafor and 2019 first-round picks Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Hayes has started 13 games this season and was in the rotation for the vast majority of the campaign, but the 20-year-old only played a year in college, so any additional experience he can get is valuable. They have more basketball than Hayes under their belts, but Jackson and Alexander-Walker were not always in the lineup in 2019-20, partly because they were further down the depth chart of a New Orleans backcourt led by Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, Redick and E’Twaun Moore (another former Magic player). Seeing the team’s array of young players finish this season in strong fashion would be encouraging, especially since next season is right around the corner.
Any key stats or nuggets that stand out from the 2019-20 season:
New Orleans basically had three distinct “seasons” in 2019-20. The Pelicans started out 7-23 and seemingly had no chance to reach the playoffs, did a 180 and went 21-13 from late December through mid-March, but then went 2-5 during the restart. It’s difficult to explain, but several individual players experienced very similar seasons, featuring a sluggish start, a strong December-March, but then a frustrating recent stay in Central Florida. Next season, they’ll need to reclaim what they showed during that midseason stretch in which the Pelicans were a top-10 NBA team winning percentage-wise.