The future is now for the Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic have been more than just a promising young team this season as right now they are playing arguably the best basketball in the league. Currently, the Magic are tied with the Suns for the longest win streak in the NBA with 7 in a row. During the streak, the Magic have come away with back to back wins against two of the NBA's elite after beating the Nuggets and Celtics. Their success has pushed them to a 12-5 record which puts them at the #2 seed in the eastern conference and just a game behind the Boston Celtics who have the best record in the league.
After finishing with just 34 wins last season, the Magic are off to their best start in over a decade when they had a prime Dwight Howard dominating in the paint. Now the Magic are led by another #1 overall pick in Paolo Banchero who at just 21 years of age appears to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come. Banchero is the Magic's leading in scoring, rebounding and assists averaging 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. he his overall play is even better than last season and a major area of improvement from his rookie season has been his three point shooting. Last season, he shot just 29% but now shoots 44% from three as he adds even more to his offensive repertoire.
Other key players for the Magic have been Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony who have played well all season especially during the Magic's win streak. In the win over the Nuggets, Franz scored a game high 27 points in the win. Anthony is the Magic's leading scorer off the bench and came alive in the Magic's most recent win over the Hornet where Franz and Anthony both dropped a game high 30 points in the win.
Nuggets facing early tough stretch without Jamal Murray
Denver is currently facing their first test as defending champions as they have been without their star guard Jamal Murray who injured his hamstring in a game against the Bulls and has been out since November 4th. Since Murray's injury, they have not been at their best as in the 10 games without Murray they have just 5 wins. Their most notable loss came against the Houston Rockets where they were blown out in their In-Season tournament matchup. Nuggets superstar and reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic was impressive as usual scoring a season high 38 points but the Nuggets struggled offensively as they shot just 33.7% from the field. The Nuggets got just 10 points from their bench which Nuggets head coach stated may cause a change in the rotation after the loss on Friday.
After an impressive 8-1 start, the Nuggets now sit at 11-6 which puts them at 4th in the West standings. Fortunately, for the Nuggets Jokic is playing incredible to the point his play can at times get taken for granted as he averaging a career high 28.2 points per game through 16 games. The Nuggets also should be able to turn things around when they get their star guard in Murray back at some point in December but in a tough western conference every game counts.
LaMelo Ball having career best season so far
The Hornets have once again struggled to find wins as they sit at just 12th in the western conference with a 5-10 record. However, one major bright for the Hornets has been the play of their young All-Star guard, LaMelo Ball. During the previous offseason. the Hornets signed LaMelo to a five year $260 million contract extension which appears to be paying off in a major way as he is currently having a career best season. Lamelo is averaging a career high 25.9 points and 8.6 assists through 14 games. His play and immense contract has established him as a franchise player with superstar potential. In his last 10 games played, LaMelo has scored 30 or more 7 times including a sensational 36 point, 9 rebound, 8 assist performance in an OT win over the East leading Boston Celtics.
The only issue for LaMelo has been his health as he has missed 31 or more games in 3 of his 4 career NBA seasons. Last season, Ball was limited to just 36 games due to a season ending ankle injury and unfortunately appears to have injured that same ankle again in a Sunday afternoon game against the Magic. Hopefully, the injury is not serious and we can continue to see LaMelo continue his extraordinary All-NBA caliber season.
Game of the week- In a historic offensive performance for both teams, the Pacers and Hawks combined for 309 points. Trae Young had a game high 38 points but Tyrese Haliburton led the way for the Pacers with a ridiculous 37 point, 16 assist double-double performance in the 157-152 win to stay undefeated in In-Season Tournament play.
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