Orlando Magic vs. Denver Nuggets: Game Preview - OrlandoMagic.com

ORLANDO -- The Orlando Magic are approaching a critical juncture in their season.

Ahead lies a three-game homestand against three challenging opponents. Beyond that is a grueling five-game West Coast trip. Along the way, the team must overcome their injuries, redevelop chemistry among those that have returned from extended absences, and remain focused on the task at hand despite distractions that can be created by Thursday’s looming NBA trade deadline if they want to gain ground on a five-and-a-half-game separation between them and a play-in spot for the 2021 NBA playoffs.

The Magic tip off that arduous journey when they host the Denver Nuggets, who’ve won eight of their last 10 games, on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.

“Every game for us going forward is very critical,” Magic All-Star center Nikola Vucevic explained. “Obviously this stretch with those three teams coming into our building is going to be very hard. They’re teams that have been playing very well, but we just have to find a way. Hopefully, we can get some wins. If we don’t, then it’s going to get very complicated for us even thinking about the playoffs. Hopefully, we can get some wins and then we’ll see.”

The Nuggets possess the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (116.6), which is in part a product of their passing. They have the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0) and third-best assist ratio (19.3) in the league. They’re also extremely efficient shooting the basketball, knocking down 48.8 percent of their shots from the floor (third-best mark in the league) and 38.8 percent from distance (fourth overall).

Thus, the Magic, who struggled to get into the basketball and limit the Celtics on Sunday, will need to improve in that area if they hope to take down a Nuggets team that possesses the fifth-best record in the West.

“If we have the mindset, defense first, we’ll give ourselves a chance,” Magic forward James Ennis III said. “We definitely can score the ball, but I feel like we’ve got to come out and lock people up. Once we do that, it’s going to be hard to beat us.”

Certainly, the Magic will focus on limiting MVP candidate, Nikola Jokic, who was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday. It was the third time this season that the All-Star center won the award, coming off a week where he led the Nuggets to a 3-1 record by averaging 26.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.7 steals while shooting 59.5 percent from the field and 58.3 from three-point range.

Jokic currently leads the NBA in PER, and is ninth in points (27.1), ninth in rebounds (11.2), and sixth in assists (8.6) per game. If Jokic continues at this pace, he will join Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 27-plus points, 11-plus rebounds and eight-plus assists for an entire season.

KEY STATS: Making his return from a sore left calf, Ennis fired off a season-high 18 points while going five-for-six from the floor and three-for-four from long range against the Celtics on Sunday. All seven of Ennis’ double-digit scoring performances this season have come since Feb. 2, which is impressive considering he’s missed 10 games due to injury and only played in 11 contests during that span.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “James is a good player for us. He can shoot the ball well, he’s good defensively, he plays hard, he competes, (and) he does a lot of stuff for us on the defensive end. He’s a very good player for us and a lot of stuff that he does definitely doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but we know it. It’s good to have him back. We missed him. I thought he played well for his first game (back from an eight-game absence). It’s going to take him some time, but he’s been good for us all year long.” – Vucevic on Ennis.

INJURY UPDATE: Mo Bamba (sore left hamstring and strained big right toe), Chasson Randle (sore are left groin), and Terrence Ross (sore right knee) are questionable, while Cole Anthony (non-displaced fracture, right rib), Markelle Fultz (torn ACL, left knee), and Jonathan Isaac (left knee rehabilitation) are out.

For the Nuggets, Gary Harris (left adductor strain) and Monte Morris (left quadriceps strain) are expected to be out.

RIVALS REPORT: In this edition of our Rivals Report series, we’re joined by Nuggets.com writer Alex Labidou. He was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about the team.

Savage: “The great players in this league usually continue to find ways to improve their game year after year. Where have you seen the biggest improvements in Nikola Jokic’s game this season that now have him in the MVP conversation?”

Labidou: “I think he is way more assertive. The knock on Nikola early in his career was that he could do everything, but he wouldn’t take over games. I think this year (he made progress in that area) due to a combination of injuries and the fact that this is the first year that the Nuggets had a big roster change. They recruited seven new faces, lost Jerami Grant, lost Mason Plumlee, a lot of guys who had been pillars in that locker room for years. So, I think Nikola sort of sensed the situation and knew he had to step it up in order for this team to be competitive. And that’s what he’s done. Prior to this season, I believe he had two or three forty-point games in his whole career. This season alone, he’s had four forty-plus-point games. That just goes to show you that his assertiveness has really stepped up. Also, on a funny note, Nikola isn’t known for dunking, but I believe (on Sunday) he tied his career high for dunks in a season. That just also shows you that the conditioning this year is great as well.”

Savage: “Jamal Murray had one of the most ridiculous bubble sessions of any player in the NBA. How has he done in regards to picking up where he left off and what have you seen out of him this season?”

Labidou: “That’s a good question. If you would have asked me that in December or January, I would have said ‘still a solid player, but obviously not matching the level of production that he had in the bubble.’ He's constantly made a point to say that he was dealing with a lot of injuries. So, from February on, he’s been every bit as good as he was in the bubble for, I would say, ninety percent of the time. He had a fifty-point game against Cleveland. He, obviously, had that dramatic game-tying shot against the Bulls the other day. The thing I like most about his game is in the fourth quarter a lot of guys shy away from the moment, but that’s when he picks up his game. Both Nikola and he are very clutch in the fourth quarter. If it’s a close game against the Magic in the fourth quarter (on Tuesday), you’re going to see them get a lot of touches in the fourth quarter.”

Savage: “If you’re the Magic, what are some of the areas you would look to attack against the Nuggets and where have you seen other teams have some success against them?”

Labidou: “Transition defense has been a struggle throughout the whole season. The Nuggets are good at keeping the ball, but when they do give up turnovers, they’re bad at defending on the break. I’m sure that (Nuggets Head Coach Michael) Malone is going to make that a key focus for tomorrow. The other thing that I would say is that with Monte Morris being hurt and Gary Harris being hurt as well, the bench isn’t as deep as it used to be in years past. The last two games they’ve put up like twenty-four and seventeen points and they were outscored by the Bulls bench, sixty to twenty-four. The bench production needs to step up. I think that’s an area when the starters have come out, teams get more aggressive and that’s where you’ve seen teams go on some runs.”

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https://www.nba.com/magic/orlando-magic-denver-nuggets-game-preview-story-20210322

2021-03-22 21:53:13Z
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