NBA Preview: Lakers vs Magic
SteemSports Presenter:@mateonav53
SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets
The Los Angeles Lakers (19-30) take on the Orlando Magic (14-35) on Wednesday, January 31st at the Amway Center at 4 PM PST / 7 PM EST. The Magic are last in the Eastern Conference while the Lakers sit at 11th in the West. This is the first time the teams will face each other this season, their next appointment is on March 7th.
The Lakers are coming off a loss to the Raptors in Toronto 111-123. They were doomed by their poor shooting and lack of perimeter and interior defense. They were just on a 4 game winning streak after beating the Boston Celtics, the top Eastern Conference team at Staples Center. They've been finding their groove though, they're 7-3 in their last 10 games.
Lonzo Ball is still expected to sit this game out with an MCL injury in his left knee. This will be his 8th game in a row on the bench. An MCL injury affects Lonzo's lateral movement, and so far he's only practicing spot shooting drills and other stationary activities. He'll be close to a full recovery when he can start doing agility drills and can defend up to his previous level in 5-on-5 team scrimmages.
This game will be a back-to-back for the Orlando Magic, they took on the run and gun Rockets in Houston the night before. The Magic kept it surprisingly close to one of the top teams in the Western Conference but ultimately lost 114-107. James Harden broke Calvin Murphy's previous record for most points scored by a Rocket. Calvin's record was 57 points but James tallied up 60 points and a triple-double, all without Trevor Arizona, Chris Paul, and Eric Gordon. Mario Hezonja scored the most points for the Magic in that contest with 17. Aaron Gordon missed this game with a hip injury, and he will likely not participate in the game against the Lakers.
The Magic have been really suffering without their big man Nikola Vucevic who is nursing a hand injury. Without him, the Magic are missing a man who contributed 17.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1 steal, and 1.1 blocks per game. Despite the solid contributions from Vucevic, Magic fans are frustrated at another failed season and have often pondered the idea of trading him. Vucevic is expected to return closer to the All-Star Break.
The Lakers are a different team on the road (7-16) than at home(12-14) but they should be able to handily dispatch the league-worst Orlando Magic. The Magic are also coming off a back to back and will probably be missing Aaron Gordon. If they have another poor shooting night it'll be a closer game, but I still think the Lakeshow will prevail 116-100.
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ese juego estara muy bueno, activa para la nba :) excelente información @steemsports
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James tho last night. Wow! Like I'm surprise Orlando kept it close. But Orlando is funny like that, they can compete. Tough to win when harden is on fire like that. Even saw him running back for some defence ;)
Hahaha I know I thought it was going to be a blowout but then I heard out how many Rockets sat out and it made sense. Calvin Murphy was in attendance to see James break his record too I forgot to mention that in the article.
Great job either way