The Orlando Magic (25-30) will try to slow down the league’s top scoring team when they take on the Golden State Warriors (51-5) at the Amway Center. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 25 and will air on GS2, FxF and C+D.
The Magic beat the 76ers 124-115 on Tuesday. Nikola Vucevic was the game’s high scorer with 35 points on 13-for-21 shooting. The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off a 118-112 win over the Heat on Wednesday. Stephen Curry led the game in scoring with 42 points on 14-for-29 shooting.
Over the last five games, Evan Fournier and Vucevic have played well for the Magic. During that stretch, Fournier has averaged 19.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.6 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Vucevic has put up 24.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks. On the other side, the Warriors have been led by Klay Thompson. He has been on fire, averaging 27.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 3.2 steals, and 4.0 three-pointers in the same time frame.
The inefficient Magic offense (26th in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 101.9) will square off against the stingy Warriors defense (third in the league with a defensive efficiency of 100.5). The Warriors figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
Notes
The Golden State Warriors sit undefeated (20-0) in games in which their opponent scores fewer than 100 points. Conversely, the Orlando Magic have an underachieving 5-17 record when they don’t put up at least 100 points.
When the Warriors give up at least 100 points to their opponent, they are 31-5. When the Magic hit the century mark, they also have a winning record (20-13).
The Warriors have the league’s top offensive rating (112.8). The Magic have a defensive rating of 103.6 (ranked 15th).
The Golden State Warriors have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the league with a FG% of 48.7%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Orlando Magic have a subpar 4-13 record.
On average, Orlando attempts 22.0 three pointers and Golden State attempts 30.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Magic are 10-9 while the Warriors have an outstanding 46-4 record.
Golden State ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.93 (ranked second). Orlando is ranked 12th, with an A/TO of 1.64 this season.
With 46.6 per game, Golden State ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at third. Orlando ranks 11th with 44.1.
Orlando is ranked 12th in defensive rebounds, while Golden State ranks 19th in offensive rebounds.
On average, the Magic force a turnover rate of 14.7%. When the Warriors turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a superb 25-2 record.
