| Magic vs 76ers coverage | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
@ |  |
| 12-8 | 14-6 | |
| Location: Wells Fargo Center | ||
| Time: January 30th, 2012, 7:00 PM Eastern | ||
| Channel: CSN, NBA League Pass | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Chris Duhon | PG | Jrue Holiday |
| J.J. Redick | SG | Jodie Meeks |
| Hedo Turkoglu | SF | Andre Iguodala |
| Ryan Anderson | PF | Elton Brand |
| Dwight Howard | C | Tony Battie |
| Advanced Stats: (league rankings) | ||
| 100.9 (13) | Off | 105.3 (5) |
| 98.9 (15) | Def | 92.3 (1) |
| 49.8% (7) | eFG% | 50.8% (5) |
| 47.7% (14) | deFG% | 44.4% (1) |
| 14.9% (22) | TOR | 11.2% (1) |
| 26.2% (16) | ORR | 22.7% (30) |
| 78.1% (1) | DRB | 75.2% (8) |
| 33.2% (5) | FTR | 23.9% (26) |
| Mortal Enemies: Orlando Pinstriped Post | ||
Injury Report
For the Sixers, Nikola Vucevic is a game time decision. Spencer Hawes is a game time decision out..
For the Magic, Jameer Nelson is out, and Chris Duhon will start in his place. Duhon scored 14 points to go along with 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals (as well as 4 turnovers) in the Magic 85-106 loss to the Pacers last night. Guard Jason Richardson is also a late scratch with knee problems, and will be replaced in the starting lineup by J.J. Redick, presumably.
Streaks
The Sixers have won 2 in a row and 4 of their previous 6. The Magic have lost three sraight (Pacers, @ Hornets, Boston) and 4 of their previous 5 (another loss @Boston). They have lost the previous 2 games by an average of over 23 points per game.
Rest
The Magic played at home against the Pacers(85-106 loss). The Sixers haven't played since sweeping the back-to-back against Charlotte and Detroit on Friday and Saturday
Keys
- Rebounding. The Magic have the third best rebounding rate differential in the league, and are the best in the league in keeping opponents off the offensive glass. The Sixers are the worst offensive rebounding team in the league.
- Turnovers. The Magic are 26th in the league in turnover rate differential, and the Sixers first, although they've only been average in forcing turnovers, particularly recently. The Jameer Nelson injury may actually help the Magic in this regard as Jameer has been extremely turnover prone this year. Although, while Duhon was good at taking care of the ball earlier in his career, his turnover percentages of 30.3% and 27.6% the past two years are very poor as well.
- Executing the pick and roll. The Sixers aren't heavy users of pick and rolls, but they've been one of the most efficient teams in the league when they do run it. The Magic are one of the tops in the league in defending it. If Spencer Hawes had returned , this would have help the Sixers in this facet of the game.
- Defend the Magic shooters. They are one of the top teams in the league in terms of catch and shoot efficiency, which shouldn't surprise anyone considering how they've built their team around the attention Dwight receives in the post. Hawes (if he plays), Brand, Battie, and company are going to have to do a serviceable job on Howard one-on-one so the Sixers perimeter players don't have to help too much on Howard. Ryan Anderson, particularly, will be a tough cover for Thaddeus Young and Elton Brand
Prediction: Magic 97, Sixers 92
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