Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Friday, February 1st, 2008, 7:05 tipoff
Records: Orlando- 29-18, 1st place in the Southeast division; Philadelphia- 18-28, 4th place in the Atlantic division. Magic on the road- 17-10; Philadelphia at home- 9-13
Line: Magic by 3.5
The Magic begin a stretch of five games in eight nights as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers Friday night in the city of brotherhood. This will be the first of three meetings with the 76ers this month, and the Magic hold a 46-25 edge in the all time regular season series between the two teams.
Philadelphia is a very athletic team that is led by guard Andre Iguodala who averages 19.4 points per game, and 2.2 steals per game (fifth in the NBA). In the middle, the Sixers have seven footer Samuel Dalembert, who averages a double double, with 11.4 points per game, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks. Commanding the point is veteran Andre Miller, who averages 16.4 points per game, and leads the team with 6.2 assists.
Just because the Sixers are athletic, doesn't mean that they're very good. Philadelphia's 18-28 record speaks for itself, but when we look a little deeper, we find that the Sixers rank 27th in the NBA in scoring, averaging just 93.8 points per game, and they allow opponents to shoot nearly 46% from the field, ranking them 21st in defense. Philadelphia allows opponents to shoot 37% from behind the arc, which is also among the league’s worst. The Sixers are dead last in the NBA in three point accuracy, hitting on just 32% as a team, and they are one of only seven teams that are worse than Orlando from the free throw line, as they are shooting just 70.66% (28th). The only thing the Sixers really do well is rebound, as they rank third in the league in rebounding differential at +3.1.
Best matchup for Philadelphia:
Andre Miller vs. Carlos Arroyo- Miller is statistically superior to either of the Magic point guards, and should be able to penetrate and post up either Arroyo or Nelson. Philadelphia must take advantage of this matchup if they are going to find a victory over the more talented Magic.
Best matchup for Orlando:
Rashard Lewis vs. Reggie Evans- Evans is a strong low post defender, but he is no match on the perimeter for Rashard Lewis. Lewis should be able to take him off the dribble early, then get open jumpers later the game. Last year Lewis averaged 30 points per game against Evans and the Nuggets.
Keys to a Magic victory:
1. Keep them off the glass. Philadelphia is an energy type of team. They dive for loose balls and do the dirty work because they have to, they’re not that talented otherwise. If Orlando can stay even with them on the boards and begin to box out, they should find success.
2. Play them even at the point guard position. The Magic have been grossly outplayed at point guard recently, and that is clearly the team’s weakest position. If Orlando can hold Miller in check and get similar production from their two-headed monster, they should be okay in this one.
3. Turkoglu or Lewis must dominate. Whichever player isn’t being covered by Andre Iguodala must come up big, because that’s the best mismatch in Orlando’s favor. 20+ points by either Hedo and Rashard and the Magic should come away with road win # 18, which would be the most in the NBA.
Final thoughts:
The Sixers don’t have the talent to hang with Orlando, but they do outwork their opponents in most of their victories. Philly has won two in a row by an average margin of 25 points, so the Magic will need to play a little better than they did on Wednesday night. If Orlando can keep the Sixers big men off the glass and continue to shoot well from the free throw line, they should send the Sixers faithful home disappointed...again. If you’re a gambler, take Orlando and give the three and a half points.
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