The Los Angeles Lakers led by as many as 24 on Wednesday night and although the game got close, the Lakers handled the Orlando Magic.
The Los Angeles Lakers came out on Wednesday night with a ton of energy and held a lead of as many as 24 against the Orlando Magic but while the Magic cut their lead down to as low as two points, the Lakers never wavered as they won their fifth straight game and their 12th straight game on the road to remain undefeated away from Staples Center, 96-87.
LeBron James led the way with a triple-double of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on a night when the Lakers struggled to shoot for much of the night. Anthony Davis was again instrumental in establishing a defensive tone, especially when the Lakers surrendered a season-best nine points to the Magic in the first quarter. In addition to the two stars, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had another big night from the outside, making a team-high four 3-pointers, including some big ones in the fourth quarter.
The Magic pushed the Lakers throughout the game and did so literally in the fourth quarter. After Dwight Howard earned a loose ball foul, Orlando’s Wes Iwundu pushed Howard after a play, leading to Jared Dudley pushing Iwundu. After a review, both players were ejected.
Following the dual ejections, the Lakers were able to extend their lead and win yet another road game.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers started their next road trip on the right foot.
The Los Angeles Lakers started slowly on the offensive end as they missed eight of their first 10 field goal attempts, but as has been the case all season, their spectacular defense has helped be a guiding light during times where the offense has slipped. And their defense has not played a better quarter than they did in the first quarter on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.
The Los Angeles Lakers held the Lakers to a nine-point first quarter, the lowest total they’ve allowed in a quarter this season. The Lakers had 26 points and held a 15-point lead after the first, despite the fact their usually good offense was struggling against an active Orlando defense.
The Lakers welcomed back guard Avery Bradley to the line-up but he came off the bench for his first game since Nov. 15. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got the start at shooting guard but as expected, the Lakers aren’t missing a beat despite having pieces come in and out of the lineup.
Anthony Davis, once again, was a monster in the quarter as he had seven points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals to help lead the way for the Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be without one of their key contributors but they will also be getting another one back on Wednesday night.
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The Los Angeles Lakers are back on the road again as they begin a five-game road trip that will take them through five different Eastern Conference cities, including four teams that are currently in the playoff picture, starting tonight with the Orlando Magic. But as they begin their trip, they’ll be without a key piece while they’ll also be getting one back on Wednesday night.
Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has been ruled out of Wednesday’s road-trip opener with a sprained left ankle, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group. Kuzma is day-to-day going forward, according to Lakers.com’s Mike Trudell.
Kyle Kuzma is out tonight in Orlando due to soreness and discomfort from the left ankle sprain that happened vs. Washington (11/29). The medical staff is holding him out to promote healing; he’ll be day-to-day moving forward.
Kuzma missed the start of the season recovering from a stress reaction that he suffered while playing for USA Basketball over the summer and he had been dealing with this same ankle injury for parts of this season as well.
However, the Lakers will be getting back guard Avery Bradley tonight against the Magic. Bradley has been out since November 15 with a hairline fracture in his leg but he had been slowly ramping up his workload during the team’s last road trip before being cleared for full-contact this past weekend.
Previewing Wednesday’s Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Los Angeles Lakers (21-3) visit the Orlando Magic (11-12) Wednesday at Amway Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the Lakers-Magic odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.
Lakers at Magic: Key injuries
Lakers
SG Avery Bradley (leg) questionable
C Anthony Davis (shoulder) probable
PF Kyle Kuzma (ankle) probable
PG Rajon Rondo (hamstring) questionable
Magic
PF Al-Farouq Aminu (knee) out
C Nikola Vucevic (ankle) out
Lakers at Magic: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Wednesday at 12:40 p.m. ET.
The Magic (+300) come into Wednesday off a 110-101 road loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. They’re 8-4 at home for the season but just 5-5 across their last 10 games overall. They have an even point differential with 103.0 points per game for and 103.0 PPG against.
The Lakers (-385) would be the play if it weren’t for the chalky odds which return a profit of just $2.60 on a $10 bet. L.A. is on a four-game win streak, 11-1 on the road and 9-1 over its last 10 games overall. The Lakers have been off since Sunday when they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 142-125 at home. The visitors win, but it’s not worth the slight risk for the small return on investment.
The LAKERS (-8.5, -106) will win this handily when laying the points. Each of their last three wins was by a margin of at least 17 points. They’re 15-9 ATS on the year and 7-5 ATS on the road. The Magic are just 10-12 ATS overall and 4-7 at home. Three of Orlando’s last five losses were by margins greater than 8 points.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Lakers to win by 9 or more points returns a profit of $9.43.
Take the UNDER 212.5 (-115). Both teams are dealing with several injuries and neither side is likely to be at full health Wednesday. The Lakers are just 11-13-0 against the O/U for the season while the Magic are 10-12-1 against the projected totals and fall an average of 4.3 points shy of the number.
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LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will look to stay rolling against the Orlando Magic as they begin a five-game road trip.
The Los Angeles Lakers are used to being road dogs these days but that mentality will be tested as they begin a five-game Eastern Conference road trip, with four of the five games coming against teams that are currently in the East playoff picture, starting Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic.
After closing last season on a tear to make the playoffs and even win a game against the World Champion Raptors in the first round of the playoffs, things haven’t gone as planned for the Magic. They lost All-Star center Nikola Vucevic for the last few weeks and free-agent acquisition Al-Farouq Aminu recently tore his meniscus.
Still, they have had some otherwise great stories that have helped them stay in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, which is, currently more competitive than the West. Markelle Fultz has been aggressive on both ends, finishing well at the rim and playing great defense, helping offset a misfiring 3-point shot. Meanwhile, third-year player Jonathan Isaac has been a monster, as he comes into Wednesday trailing only Anthony Davis in total blocks and actually leading the league in blocks per game (2.9).
The Magic are a scrappy team that will stay in the playoff picture for most of the season, but they shouldn’t be able to challenge the Lakers with the way L.A. has been playing as of late.
Jameer Nelson opened up to HoopsHype about playing with Dwight Howard and having a front-row seat for his ugly exit from the Orlando Magic.
One of the most fascinating stories of the 2019-20 NBA season thus far has been the resurgence of Los Angeles Lakers big man Dwight Howard.
The 34-year-old center played just nine games last year and it seemed like his playing days were nearing an end. However, now he’s playing well for the same franchise that he once left on not-so-great terms.
Considering that Howard has seemingly turned a new leaf, it was interesting to hear from his former Orlando Magic teammate Jameer Nelson. The 2009 All-Star spoke with our own Alex Kennedy about playing alongside Howard for eight years and the big man’s drama-filled departure from Orlando.
You can listen to the whole podcast here, but the most noteworthy takeaways happened when he discussed how he felt about Howard’s final season on the Magic in 2011-12 (via HoopsHype):
“We had a culture and when that culture got broken, that’s when the team started to break up,’ Nelson said. “There were different reasons why the culture broke, but the main thing was certain guys weren’t seeing eye-to-eye anymore. The goal changed. Social media started coming into play. The brand started getting bigger for individual guys. Winning wasn’t even the priority at that time, in my opinion, for certain guys. It kind of got blown up because of that, in my opinion. I’m sure you’ve been around and you’ve seen it. But it kind of deflates you and you’re like: ‘Ugh, I don’t feel like coming to practice today because it’s not going to be as fun.’ Our practices used to be fun. When we were winning, everything was fun. But when things got a little tougher and adversity hit, certain guys just didn’t want to be there anymore.”
Howard was coming off three consecutive seasons in which he was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. In 2008-09, the Magic advanced to the NBA Finals and then made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals in the following season. But in 2010-11, Orlando was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
(Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
As such, there was a very different vibe around the team entering the following season. Winning was no longer the focus, explained Nelson, and Howard publicly requested a trade. Despite asking to be traded in December of 2011, Howard wasn’t actually dealt until August of 2012.
“Every day when we came in, it was about Dwight wanting to be traded and about Dwight wanting Stan [Van Gundy] to be fired and things like that,” Nelson said. “Everybody found anything but positive things to say to us. But I thought we handled it well. We still continued to win; we still played and we fought through it. But it was just a lot of weight on everybody’s shoulders. From the players to the coaching staff. It took a lot out of you, dealing with all of that negativity. A lot of things that happen in professional sports just need to stay in the locker room or in the office. Whether it’s with the general manager, the owner or the team president, if you want to have a conversation with that person, just let it stay there. If you want to request a trade, request it quietly. Then, things won’t trickle down to your coach, your teammates and your fans. It had an effect on everybody, [even] the people working on the business side. Nobody was having any fun anymore. It was almost like the ending to a great movie, and it was a sad ending.”
Nelson noted that the franchise still found ways to win, which is fair because they made the playoffs. However, they were coming off of three years in a row of owning the best record in the Southeast Division and finished with at least 50 wins in each of those seasons. But in 2011-12, they entered the postseason as a No. 6 seed with a .561 win percentage (37-29).
(Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
While most of the blame for the regression was put on Howard, Nelson did say that the big man shouldn’t get all of the blame. He told Kennedy that he hasn’t had a chance to clear the air with Howard yet, but he hopes to eventually reconcile with the eight-time NBA All-Star.
“To put all of it on Dwight isn’t fair,” Nelson said. “To say, ‘If he would’ve stayed, things would’ve been the same…’ or, ‘He’s the reason why everything broke up,’ is not fair because there were other things that transpired as well. I’m sure there are certain things [that happened] that we’ll probably never know. But I definitely would like to sit down and talk with him one day. And I’ve always rooted for him; I’ve been on his side and wanted to see him come out on top. But I’m definitely looking forward to that day when I get to sit down and talk with him and iron some things out.”
Evan Fournier was too much for the Warriors, as the Golden State falls short against the Orlando Magic.
The Warriors 100-96 loss to the Orlando Magic was the perfect display of a continuing theme for the 2019 club— close, but no cigar. The Warriors traded blows back and forth with the Magic all night, but in the end, the Dubs limited rotation couldn’t close out down the stretch.
The Warriors had a chance to steal the game with the final shot, but Alec Burks couldn’t knock down a three-pointer on a beautifully drawn up inbound play from Steve Kerr. Burks had an open look, but the ball was rimmed out on the attempt sealing the Magic’s win.
There’s no doubt Golden State plays a tough and gritty brand of basketball, but the talent gap between the eight-win Magic is just too much over 48-minutes for the understaffed Warriors.
Struggles from Deep
Unlike the standard “Splash Brothers,” long-range basketball, the Warriors could not knock down a three-point shot in Orlando. The team shot a lowly 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from the distance while the Magic poured in 11-threes for the evening. Four different Warriors didn’t register a made three on 13 combined attempts, including rookie Jordan Poole, who dropped in five three against the Heat, but put a zero versus Orlando.
Bonne Nuit
The Warriors defense didn’t have an answer for French guard, Evan Fournier, as he poured in a season-high 32-points against the struggling defense. Fournier knocked down six three-pointers on 10-attempts. Fournier tied the entire Warriors team for made three-pointers in Sunday night’s tilt.
Evan Fournier had a season high in points scored tonight
Kentucky product Willie Cauley-Stein turned in one of his most complete games of the season, registering hid first double-double performance as a Warrior. Cauley-Stein grabbed 12 boards while adding 11 points, three assists, one steal and one block. Cauley-Stein’s double-double was an encouraging sign for a player that’s had an underwhelming start to the 2019-20 season.
Luckily for Golden State, the team got some positive news regarding a trio of injured players before things tipped off in Orlando, staring with Kevon Looney, who is scheduled to return in the team’s upcoming matchup in Atlanta.
The good news doesn’t stop there as the team could be getting back D’Angelo Russell and Jacob Evans III before the five-game road trip closes out. They’ll need all the help they can get when they face off against second-year Atlanta superstar, Trae Young.
The -295 line for the MAGIC is interesting given the fact that Orlando plays low-scoring basketball and close games.
Can Orlando slow down Washington enough? The answer appears to be “yes” as the Magic are one of a handful of teams that hold opponents to under 100 points a game this season.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Magic to win outright returns a profit of only $3.39.
The slightly better play for this game is taking the WIZARDS+7.5 points at -121 odds. A Washington cover here (lose by seven points or less) returns a greater profit of $8.26.
Washington is 4-1-1 on the road against the spread which is one of the better numbers out there. Orlando is only 1-3 ATS at home and falls 2.5 points per game below the cover line. Washington covers by nearly eight points a contest away from home.
Lean more to the UNDER 220.5 (+105). Watch the number here as it will depend on who places how much money on the Over or Under. The O/U was as high as 222.5 Friday night. The expectation is that there may be a little bit more movement before it settles just below 220.
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The Orlando Magic are reportedly interested in acquiring DeMar DeRozan. How would he fit with their current players and offensive system?
DeMar DeRozan is the main asset the San Antonio Spurs received when they traded Kawhi Leonard, but he may not be in their long-term plans.
As noted by The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the four-time All-Star was “quite a ways apart” from agreeing to a contract extension with San Antonio before the season. As such, it remains possible that the Spurs decide to trade the 30-year-old wing before the deadline in February to get something back for the veteran shooting guard.
According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, one team that has expressed interest in DeRozan is the Orlando Magic (via The Ringer):
“The Spurs could always deal him sooner rather than let him walk for nothing. Multiple league sources say the Magic are scouring the trade market for scoring help and have already expressed interest in trading for DeRozan. It would surprise none of the front-office executives I’ve spoken with if the Spurs did move DeRozan.”
Orlando would certainly not be willing to part with Nikola Vucevic or Aaron Gordon for a 30-year-old DeRozan. But perhaps for one of the Magic’s more ancillary pieces, a deal would be realistic.
Considering that DeRozan is one of the most prolific mid-range shooters of the last decade, the first question is whether the Magic would allow him to play that style if such a transaction occurred.
First, to properly contextualize just how important this is to his offensive role, the San Antonio wing is currently averaging more mid-range field goal attempts per game (7.0) than any other player in the league. In fact, he has connected on more mid-range field goals (33) than six different NBA teams have so far this season.
Orlando would be a natural fit in this regard considering they rank third among all NBA teams in frequency of mid-range shots, per Cleaning the Glass.
Last season, Magic wing (and former DeRozan teammate) Terrence Ross ranked ninth in mid-range field goals attempted. Considering that coach Steve Clifford allowed Ross to fire so often in this zone, the expectation should be that DeRozan would be given a similar green light.
When including passes, DeRozan has finished nearly half of his offensive possessions as the ball-handler in the pick-and-roll. That would also make him a strong fit alongside Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, who leads all active players in scoring (6.6 ppg) from these sets.
Vucevic ranks Top 5 in total scoring on pick-and-pop opportunities and just a few slots behind current DeRozan teammate LaMarcus Aldridge. The two-man offense of Vucevic and DeRozan is quite a bit better than anything else Orlando has on their roster.
But perhaps the biggest need that the Magic have right now is a lack of any one-on-one scoring threat. The team currently ranks 29th in isolation points, averaging just 3.1 ppg.
DeRozan ranks Top 20 among all NBA players on ISOs (2.5 ppg), more than doubling the output of Orlando’s current isolation-scoring leader DJ Augustin (0.9 ppg). For context: DeRozan has finished Top 20 in isolation-scoring each season since 2012-13.
In fact, he averaged almost exactly as many points (4.1 ppg) on ISOs as the entire Magic roster (4.2 ppg) last season. When including his passes in 2018-10, only Houston’s James Harden produced more points per game on this play type.
For the Magic to return to the playoffs after making it last year, a scorer like DeRozan would go a long way. If San Antonio is willing to accept a discount on a trade just so they don’t lose him for nothing as a free agent in July, he could be an interesting addition for Orlando.
Previewing Wednesday’s Philadelphia 76ers at Orlando Magic sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.
The Philadelphia 76ers (7-3) begin a three-game road trip Wednesday against the Orlando Magic (3-7) at Amway Center. Tip-off is set for shortly after 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the 76ers-Magic odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.
76ers at Magic: Key injuries
76ers
PG Trey Burke (calf) questionable
PF Joel Embiid (rest) out
76ers at Magic: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 2:20 p.m. ET.
The Sixers are coming off an all-too-close 98-97 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. They improved to 4-0 at home with the victory but they now hit the road at 3-3. They’ve won two games in a row after previously beating the Charlotte Hornets 114-106. Philadelphia outscores the opposition by an average of 109.7-105.3 points per game.
The Magic are stuck in 13th in the Eastern Conference following last year’s surprising playoff berth. They’re 0-4 on the road but a respectable 3-3 on home court; however, they dropped a 109-102 decision to the Indiana Pacers at home Sunday. They’ve played tight games but have been outscored by an average of 99.3-98.1.
Philadelphia may be the tired team on the second half of a back-to-back with travel, but it’s also the far deeper team. Star PF Al Horford rested Tuesday, ensuring he’ll be ready to go Wednesday night with Embiid out of the lineup. Take plus money with the 76ers at +110 for the outright win.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Sixers fetches an $11 profit with a straight-up victory.
The 76ers are 5-4 against the spread overall and 3-2 as the visitors. The Magic are 3-6 ATS overall and just 2-3-1 at home. Side with PHILADELPHIA to cover a spread of just +2.5 with -115 odds. The same $10 bet returns a profit of $8.70.
The Magic are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a winning record. The Sixers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss and 4-0 ATS in their last four Wednesday games.
The Magic are the worst Over team in the league with a record of 2-7-1 against the projected totals and they fall an average of 10.6 points shy of the projected totals. The Sixers are 5-5 against the O/U but still fall 2.4 points shy of the projection on average.
Take the UNDER 206.5 (-115) with Philadelphia coming in without rest. This is its first back-to-back situation of the year.
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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
