Orlando at Milwaukee
Time: 8 PM CT (NBA LP)
Spread: MIL -7
Total: 221.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
ORL TEAM NOTES:
Orlando most recently had its two-game win streak snapped by the Oklahoma City Thunder, falling 122-132 on the road. The Magic got huge performances from several key players despite the loss: Terrence Ross scored 26 points in 26 minutes off the bench, while Aaron Gordon had 10 assists to go with his 18 points (but he also had a team-high eight turnovers). Evan Fournier hit 8 of 16 from the field en route to 25 points. The Magic shot 46.7 percent from the field in the loss, but were plagued by its 18 turnovers and lost the battle of the boards 49-40.
Gordon has come on strong in his past eight games to the tune of 17.1 points, five assists and 6.4 rebounds per game. The forward remains Orlando’s best player, or the most valuable in terms of trade assets, notwithstanding that Nikola Vucevic is Orlando’s lone All-Star. Vucevic is averaging 22.5 points and 11.9 rebounds over his last 10 games, and the Swiss native has come into his own this season, in what is a “contract season” for “Vooch.”
The Magic are still years away from feeling comfortable with Mo Bamba as its starting center, and it will have decisions to make regarding just how much money Vucevic should command (should he even be re-signed). Bamba recently announced he will miss extended time with a stress fracture in his leg, which only made it a near-certainty the Magic would not deal Vucevic—not if it is serious about its postseason chances, which are still very much alive.
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The Magic have been perhaps most pleased with Ross, who is making a legitimate run at the league’s Sixth Man award. Despite only playing 26 minutes a game, Ross averages a shade under 15 points and shoots 37.7 percent from three-point range, which ranks No. 3 on the team. Vucevic is hitting 38 percent of his triples while attempting three per game. The Magic have shot 34.8 percent from behind the arc on 31.5 attempts per game.
DJ Augustin leads the team in three-point marksmanship with his 42.8 percent average on 3.9 attempts per game. Orlando is a much better shooting team than often credited for, with five players averaging over one three per game. Augustin, too, has been superb, but the Magic have not kept it secret it is hunting for a bigger, more long-term point guard. The Magic did obtain Markelle Fultz at the deadline, but he is a bit of a project and the Magic are in no hurry to rush his recovery.
MIL TEAM NOTES:
The Milwaukee Bucks have won nine of its last 10 to improve to 38-13 on the season. It holds a 1.5 game lead over Toronto for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks have a top-2 or 3 to rival any team in the East. Giannis Antetokounmpo is turning in an MVP-caliber season with his 26.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.39 steals and 1.45 blocks per game. His PER leads the Bucks at 29.5. Khris Middleton is quietly having another superb season as the No. 2 scorer. Middleton averages 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.??Eric Bledsoe has fit in well since becoming a Buck.
He joins Middleton in the backcourt as the No. 3 scorer, good for 15.8 points per game. 2017 Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon is steady and consistent. He has averaged 15.7 points and 1.00 blocks/steals per game and is one of the team’s best defenders. The Bucks are the league’s top rebounding team at 49.0 boards per game, and it has the No. 7 defense in the league in allowing 107.4 per game. The Bucks also possess the No. 2 offense, averaging 117.4 points per game. Its positive 10-point differential is best in the East.
