Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Championship Sunday
Orlando will try to pick up its first three-game winning streak since Dec. 18 when it travels to Miami on Friday night. The Magic have won three of their last four games, including a pair of wins against Boston and Indiana. Miami has won six of its last eight contests, beating New Orleans and Boston in back-to-back games earlier this week.
Orlando looked like its only goal this season would be to avoid finishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference when it lost 20 of its first 25 games. The Magic shocked the league by winning eight of their next nine contests in a stretch that included two wins at Boston along with wins over Toronto (twice), Atlanta and the Los Angeles Clippers. They have struggled with consistency since then, but they won back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 23 when they beat Boston and Indiana at home earlier this week. Orlando had all five starters score in double digits against the Pacers in a 126-120 final, paced by rookie Paolo Banchero’s 23 points.
franz to paolo ?? pic.twitter.com/E4orKUS7D2
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) January 26, 2023
Gary Harris Jr. was on fire from the perimeter against Indiana, converting on all six of his 3-point tries en route to a season-high 22 points. Wendell Carter Jr. contributed with a double-double on 18 points and 10 rebounds, marking his second straight double-double and his sixth in 2023. The Magic have won five of the six games when he has done so, making that trend something to keep an eye on in this matchup. This will be a tough matchup for an Orlando offense that is No. 27 in points per game (111.3), as Miami ranks second in points allowed per game (108.2). The Heat are averaging 8.5 steals per game and have held teams to a 36.9% clip from 3-point range.
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