Tonight the Amway Center will see the Magic look to beat the Clippers. Orlando are looking to build some momentum after beating Chicago with a strong winning performance last time out.
This is the matchup up between this season’s two most injured teams in the NBA. Orlando have so far seen 305 games missed by injured players and Los Angeles Clippers 229. That situation will be present tonight, but more of that later.
For the Clippers this is the second night of a back to back, having played a thriller in Washington last night.
Last Games And Season Records.
The Orlando Magic
Sunday 23rd January – Chicago Bulls 95 – 114 Orlando Magic
Magic Top Performances – Moe Wagner scored 23 points, his second 20-plus-point performance of the season. There was a little bit of everything that Moe does well. Wendell Carter Jr led the starters with 19 points plus 3 blocks. Franz Wagner contributed 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, a block and a steal. His defence was strong as always. Chuma Okeke again showed his value coming from the bench to impact on both ends of the floor. He finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 2 blocks. Jalen Suggs had another impressive game showing his strength and pace. His game was typified by posterising DeMar DeRozan with a vicious dunk. His box score by the close read 14 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Cole Anthony had some struggles shooting but recorded 11 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, a block and a steal
Orlando’s record is now 9 wins and 39 losses, which sees the Magic remain last in the Eastern Conference. Of the last 10 games played the Magic have won 2. The home record stands at 3 wins of 20 games played, whilst on the road it is 6 wins in 28 played. In points per game the Magic score an improved 102.1 whilst conceding 110.6, rating 28th on offence and 22nd defensively..
The LA Clippers
Tuesday 25th January – LA Clippers 116 – 115 Washington Wizards
Amir Coffey led the way with 29 points for the Clippers. He got strong support from Luke Kennard with 25 points off the bench. Terance Mann and Isaiah Hartenstein both chipped in 16 points each. The Clippers trailed 66-31 with 1 minute 20 seconds left in the first half. Their 35-point comeback is the second largest in NBA history and the third time this season they have erased a 24 point or more deficit and won.
The team record is 24 wins and 25 losses, seeing them 9th in the Western Conference. Of the last 10 games played they have won 5 times. On the road Coach Ty Lue has seen his team have some difficulty, with 9 wins in 22 played. In points per game the Clippers score 105.5 whilst conceding 106.6, rating 27th on offence and 6th defensively.
Head-To-Head – The LA Clippers
Recent history definitely isn’t with us for this one.
The head-to-head record in the 64 regular season games played sees the Clippers leading 30-34.
The teams met in LA on December 11th 2021, Orlando losing 104-106. Reggie Jackson drilled a clutch game winning 2 with 2.2 seconds remaining. In response Terrence Ross hoisted a last gasp pull up three-pointer but was unable to connect.
Orlando won the previous meeting between the two sides, a road win by 103-96. Prior to that game Orlando had not beaten the Clippers in 14 games; stretching back to November 2013!
The teams have never met in the playoffs.
Our Opponents – The LA Clippers
ESPN shows Coach Ty Lue is without star pairing Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, both out with long term injuries. Jason Preston is also out having had surgery. Marcus Morris Sr is day-to-day.
Starting Line-Up: Reggie Jackson (PG), Amir Coffey (SG), Terance Mann (PF), Nicolas Batum (SF), Ivica Zubac (C)
Bench Unit – Luke Kennard, Isaiah Hartenstein, Justice Winslow, Brandon Boston Jr, Jay Scrubb, Eric Bledsoe, Serge Ibaka
The Orlando Magic Injury Report
ESPN is now showing only 5 absences for Orlando as the Magic look to beat the Clippers.
RJ Hampton is out for 4-6 weeks and is on crutches with a left knee injury.
Markelle Fultz is again training with the Lakeland Magic as he rehabs the knee. There remains no public timeline for his return.
E’Twaun Moore remains out with a sprained left knee.
Michael Carter-Williams is out after surgery to remove a bone fragment and repair his left ankle ligament.
Jonathan Isaac continues to be out as he rehabilitates from the surgically repaired left knee. He is said to be making steady progress. There remains no public timeline for his return to the court.
The Orlando Lineup As The Magic Look To Beat The Clippers
As Coach Jamahl Mosely plots his strategy for tonight he has the good news that Wendell Carter Jr, Mo Bamba, Terrence Ross and Gary Harris are all available to him.
Last Magic Starting Lineup – Cole Anthony (PG), Jalen Suggs (SG), Franz Wagner (SF), Wendell Carter Jr (PF), Mo Bamba (C)
Magic Bench Unit – Chuma Okeke, Ignas Brazdeikis, Moe Wagner, Admiral Schofield, Robin Lopez (DNP)
Check Out Other Orlando Magic U.K. Content
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Final Thoughts As The Magic Look To Beat The Clippers
Whether Clippers fans like it or not, the truth is they are a struggling team when compared to the expectation, ambition and money invested. And yes we’d happily swap records at this point!
As the Clippers have shown again last night they have resilience, they have fight. That will be needed again on the second night of a back-to-back. Could their Herculean efforts last night have a detrimental effect tonight?
Orlando pushed the Clippers close a few weeks ago and could do so again tonight. The Clippers three point threat will need to be effectively contained though.
Jalen Suggs since returning has played 6 games. In that time he hit a career high in scoring (22pts), rebounds (9) and assists (9). Per game across that period he has averaged just under 15 points, 5.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.35 steals. Suggs has impacted those around him. Moe Wagner is benefiting from Jalen’s play as he collapses the defence or finds the inside pass.
Franz Wagner against Chicago again showed his ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. The only part of Franz’s game that failed him on the night was shooting from distance. Franz has started all 48 games since the season began. He has scored double figures in 40 of those games, including hitting 20-points or more on 10 occasions.
Both Jalen and Franz will be a focus for Ty Lue’s defensive planning.
The tip time from Orlando is shown on the Orlando Magic website as being midnight here in the UK (7pm Eastern for our friends in Orlando). To watch the game live or on demand in the UK today you will need an active NBA League Pass 2021/22 subscription.
Let’s Go Magic!
