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GAME INFO
Who: Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls
What: 2024-2025 Regular Season Game 5
When: Wednesday, October 30 at 8pm ET
Where: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
How: FanDuel Sports Network Florida, NBA League Pass, 96.9 The Game (Radio)

GAMBLING
Line: ORL -5.5 (Opened ORL -3.5)
Over/Under: 228.5 (Opened 218.5)

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ORLANDO MAGIC HEAD COACH
Jamahl Mosley - Career Record: 106-144 regular season, 3-4 playoffs



ORLANDO MAGIC STARTERS

G: Jalen Suggs


G: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope


F: Franz Wagner


F: Paolo Banchero


C: Wendell Carter Jr.


ORLANDO MAGIC BENCH

G: Cole Anthony


G: Gary Harris


G: Anthony Black


F: Jonathan Isaac


C: Moritz Wagner


ORLANDO MAGIC DEEP BENCH
G: Cory Joseph
G: Jett Howard
G: Mac McClung (two way)
G: Trevelin Queen (two-way)
F: Caleb Houstan
F: Tristan da Silva
C: Goga Bitadze

Injuries: Jonathan Isaac (hip) and Goga Bitadze (foot) are QUESTIONABLE.


Chicago Projected Starters
G: Josh Giddey
G: Coby White
F: Zach LaVine
F: Patrick Williams
C: Nikola Vucevic

Bench
G: Ayo Dosunmu
G: Matas Buzelis
F: Dalen Terry
F: Julian Phillips
C: Jalen Smith

Injuries: Lonzo Ball (wrist) is OUT. Jalen Smith (ankle) is QUESTIONABLE.

Franz and TDS have been removed from the injured list.

Isaac and Goga are still on it.

Isaac's injury is going to turn into one of those inexplicable 8 week delays after thinking he'd be back in a few games.

I don't like to overhype one game, but the Magic could use a win tonight heading into a really tough rest of the road trip. They'll have 3 games in 4 nights vs Cleveland, Dallas, and OKC before wrapping it up at Indy next Wednesday. Five road games in 8 nights is pretty brutal.

Hope Franz is 100% but I suspect he's still recovering a little bit.

UCFJayBird wrote:I don't like to overhype one game, but the Magic could use a win tonight heading into a really tough rest of the road trip. They'll have 3 games in 4 nights vs Cleveland, Dallas, and OKC before wrapping it up at Indy next Wednesday. Five road games in 8 nights is pretty brutal.

Hope Franz is 100% but I suspect he's still recovering a little bit.

Yeah I hate overhyping games as well. This is schedule wise the easiest game out of the road trip. So you want to start it off right.

Cleveland, Dallas, OKC, I wouldn't be surprised or upset if they were all blowout L considering the schedule.

Indy is winnable due to rest and that is about it.

I'm feeling good about us grinding this one out.

It's early, but the Bulls have completely overhauled their style of play from last season.

Last year they were 26th in the NBA in 3PT attempts and 28th in pace.

This year they are 2nd in 3PT attempts with nearly 47 (!) per game and first pace by a MILE at 108.88.

It looks like the team's highest-paid player is still out after putting in his 11 minutes for the month of October. When you break down his salary to amount paid per game played it must be eye-popping. It's been true for his whole career but this year he got a raise to $25 mil so now they're really getting their money's worth.

It's a winnable game, but the Bulls aren't complete pushovers (tankers). Lonzo is apparently out again already, though.

How about the availability of our players? Did that illness spread around some more?

My friend is a Bulls fan and whoevers team loses buys lunch. Come on Magic pull this one out

Depressing fun fact:
Jonathan Isaac and Lonzo Ball, both drafted in 2017, in lottery, after 6 years only played against each other 4 times.

Must win no excuses. We play 3 of the top 5 teams after the Bulls.

I don't think the bulls match up well against the magic (especially with DeRozan & Caruso being gone, whom are both magic killers). If we play any amount of locked in defense I think we take this one. But they haven't been very focused defensively to start the season, so that worries me a bit.

Have to control there guard play/ 3 ball also. And limited self inflicted wounds as always (turnovers, missed free throws, fouling (shooters), second chance points, etc).

I think the magic win this one.
Go magic

A lot rides on how recovered Franz is. Chicago, after Paolo's 50, are going to send the kitchen sink at him.

If Franz is OK and Suggs is on fire again, we'll profit from the extra man/men. If not could be a long night.

Wendell has been stellar defensively and on the boards. Really consistent. But he's kind of been a non entity offensively. There are a lot of Paolo to WCJ dump off opportunities that don't get taken. Sometimes because Paolo spurns it for another option, sometimes because WCJ isn't working hard enough to get position.

There are 6 or 8 easy extra points per game if they figure it out. Just get on each other's wavelength and make the simple high.percentage play.

I feel like KCP is due for a heater.

eyriq wrote:I feel like KCP is due for a heater.

Hope so, I've placed bets on two Magic games, both lost only because KCP didn't hit a three in either

come on KCP dont be a Poope

Hope wendell wants to go for 20pnt 10 reb and 5 asst today! give em the middle finga! Vooch.... not you too. haha

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Bulls fan here. To win vs the bulls, all the Magic really need to do is play aggressive defense and get a hand in the face of... well, everyone. The whole bulls team just jacks up threes now, and they do it quickly. Pat Williams will be guarding Paolo, and while he's one of the best defenders on the bulls, he's probably only slightly above average league-wide.

PS: The Vuc trade still hurts.