Tonight we will be checking out a match between Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls, which will take place at Amway Center and it will mark the 3rd H2H match between the two sides this season.
Orlando Magic have been all over the place this season. From winning streak to losing streaks, they were up and down, however, they have seemingly found their rhythm with 5 consecutive wins, which now puts them at the 9th spot in the East, with an overall record of 27-32.
In their last 5 games, Magic have defeated Minnesota Timberwolves (122:112), Milwaukee Bucks (83:103), Atlanta Hawks (108:124), New Orleans Pelicans (88:118) and most recently Charlotte Hornets (127:89). While they managed to put up impressive results, we must keep in mind that they played against weaker teams and those with missing key players. Nonetheless, Orlando have improved their shooting a lot and the morale boost from winning 7 out of the last 8 games is also there.
In the span of the last 5 games, Orlando Magic averaged 118.8ppg, which should be more than enough to finish with a high score against Bulls, who they managed to defeat at the start of January (84:112).
The disastrous performances this season put Chicago Bulls at the 13th place in the Eastern Conference where they sit with an overall record of 14-44. The only 2 teams that have been playing worse are Cleveland Cavaliers (13-46) and NY Knicks (11-47). With that it should not come off as a surprise they won't be reaching the playoffs this season, however, they are still capable of upsetting some of the teams in the league. Looking at their last 5 games, Bulls lost to New Orleans Pelicans (120:125), Washington Wizards (125:134), Milwaukee Bucks (99:112), but managed to win against Brooklyn Nets (106:125) and most recently Memphis Grizzlies (122:110).
These two teams have met each other 3 times this season. On two occasions we saw Orlando finishing as the winners (97:91) and (84:112), while Bulls managed to win in December (90:80). Orlando Magic are coming into this match with 4 consecutive home wins, where they won against Pacers, nets, Timberwolves and Hornets. In addition to that, Orlando has an impressive away record behind them as well. As mentioned before, the recent matches that Magic won consisted of weak teams, however, a 7-1 run surely made them more confident as they step into each match. In the match against Bulls, Orlando will miss Bamba, Fulz and Mozgov.
Bulls on the other have got Luwawu and Hutchison questionable, while Dunn and Carter are out for this match. Looking at how Bulls played in recent matches since they added Otto Porter, there is a higher tempo of play, with much fewer isolations and posts up. This can be seen in their scoring, as they have started to put up more points in the offensive end. On the other side, this has made their defence suffer.
What I expect in the upcoming match is a high tempo from both sides which should result in plenty of points. I've already mentioned Bulls' problems in the defensive end, but at the same time, I do not believe Magic defence will be capable of stopping Bulls from scoring. Expect this match to end in high numbers.
Prediction: Over 217.00 Points
Comments