The Orlando Magic welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to the Amway Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 18 and can be seen on FxF and CNW.
The Magic enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Hornets 113-98 on Wednesday. Channing Frye was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 106-90 loss against the Thunder on Wednesday. C.J. McCollum had a team-high 24 points.
McCollum has been hot over the last five games for the Trail Blazers, averaging 22.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 3.4 three-pointers.
The Magic are a three-point favorite against Portland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 200 points. The Magic have gone 14-11 Straight Up (SU) and 18-7 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (9-1). Orlando’s defense can be considered one of the best in the league. The Magic allow a .427 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the league.
In the other locker room, the Trail Blazers have a record of 14-13 ATS and 11-16 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Portland is 1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS. The Trail Blazers rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking fourth in the league with 264 made (9.0 per game).
These two will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Orlando came out on top, but the win was not enough to overtake Portland in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. The Magic lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Orl, ATS Winner – Orl, O/U – Under
Notes
Orlando is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando’s last 6 games at home.
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Portland.
Orlando is 6-2-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Portland.
Portland is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Orlando.
On average, Portland scores 101.6 points per game (ranked 12th), while Orlando allows 98.5 points per game (ranked eighth).
Portland puts up an average of 98.3 points per away game (ranked 20th), while Orlando gives up 98.8 points per home game (ranked 16th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Portland Trail Blazers are a solid 7-3. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Orlando Magic have a losing record of 3-6.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Trail Blazers are just 4-13 this season. Orlando is a winning 11-5 when registering triple digits.
Portland’s offense and Orlando’s defense both rank eighth this season. Portland has an offensive rating of 103.6 and Orlando has a defensive rating of 99.8.
Orlando has an average field goal percentage of 44.3%. Portland is an underachieving 2-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Orlando Magic attempt 22.0 three point field goals per game and the Portland Trail Blazers attempt 27.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Orlando has a split 5-5 record, while Portland is 10-8.
Orlando has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.54 this season (ranked 13th), while Portland ranks lower at 22nd with an A/TO of 1.38.
The Orlando Magic rebound 45.2 times per game and are ranked seventh. Ranked sixth, the Portland Trail Blazers rebound 45.6 times per game.
Orlando ranks in the top half of the NBA in defensive rebounding at ninth, while Portland ranks near the top of the league (fourth) in offensive rebounding.
Orlando has forced an average turnover percentage of 15.3% this season. Portland has a subpar 4-9 record when its TOV% is 15.3% or higher.
