Thursday, February 23, 2017

Amway Center

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The Portland Blazers travel to Amway Center to play the Orlando Magic on Thursday, February 23, 2017. The opening line for this matchup has Portland as 2 point favorites.

The Blazers come into this game with an overall record of 23-33. They are 4th in the Northwest Division. They currently have a point differential of -2.8 as they are averaging 107.3 points per game while giving up 110.1 per contest. The Magic have an overall record of 21-37. They currently are 5th in the Southeast Division. They are averaging 99.5 points per game and surrendering 106.1, good for a point differential of -6.6.

Damian Lillard comes into this contest averaging 25.7 points per game while playing 35.9 minutes per night so far this season for the Blazers. He pulls down 4.9 rebounds per game and dishes out 5.8 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 43% while his free throw percentage is currently at 90%. C.J. McCollum averages 23.4 points per game in 34.5 minutes per contest this season. He averages 3.6 assists per contest and 3.7 rebounds per game for Portland. His field goal percentage is 48% for the year while his free throw percentage is 90%.

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Nikola Vucevic averages 13.9 points per game while playing 28.5 minutes per contest this year for the Magic. He grabs 10 rebounds per game and has 2.8 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 48% and his free throw percentage currently is at 62%. Elfrid Payton averages 12.5 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 29.1 minutes per contest. He also averages 3.8 rebounds per contest and 5.7 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 46% and his free throw percentage is 66%.

Portland averages 107.3 points per contest this season which ranks them 9th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is -2.8 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them ranked 17th. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 15th in the league. They average 43.3 rebounds per game and 21.8 assists per game which ranks them 19th and 19th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 17th with 13.8 per game. The Blazers allow 110.1 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 26th in the league. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 38% average from behind the arc ranking them 14th and 28th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 44.9 rebounds a game which ranks 25th and they give up 21 assists per contest which puts them in 5th place in the league. They force 13 turnovers per game which ranks them 6th in the league.

Orlando averages 99.5 points per game this year which ranks them 29th in the league. Their average scoring margin is -6.59 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them sitting in the 26th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 33% which is good for 28th in the NBA. They average 42.7 rebounds per game and 22.1 assists per contest which ranks them 22nd and 17th respectively. In the turnover department the Magic rank 21st with 13.4 per game. The Magic allow 106.1 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 20th in the league. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 36% average from behind the arc ranking them 25th and 23rd in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 45.2 rebounds a game which ranks 28th and they give up 22.9 assists per contest which puts them in 19th place in the league. The Magic force 13.2 turnovers per game which ranks them 9th in the NBA.

The Blazers have an offensive rating of 109.1 and a defensive rating of 111.9. In terms of pace they average 97.1 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 51%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they shoot 3 pointers on 33% of their shots. Portland turns the ball over an average of 12.4 times per 100 possessions and they force 11.7 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 51%.

The Magic rating on offense is 102.9 and they have a defensive rating of 109.7. They get 96.2 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 49%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 52% and they attempt 3 pointers on 30% of their shot attempts. Orlando turns the ball over on 12.4 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 12.1 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 52%.

Portland Blazers Betting Trends

The Portland Blazers are 22-34-0 against the spread

The Portland Blazers are 31-25-0 against the over/under

Orlando Magic Betting Trends

The Orlando Magic are 23-33-2 against the spread

The Orlando Magic are 27-31-0 against the over/under

Portland Blazers Injuries

10/25/16 C Festus Ezeli Knee out indefinitely
02/22/17 F Al-Farouq Aminu Knee "?" Thursday vs. Orlando
02/08/17 G Evan Turner Hand out indefinitely

Orlando Magic Injuries

02/22/17 G Terrence Ross Acquired probable Thursday vs. Portland
02/22/17 PG C.J. Watson Achilles doubtful Thursday vs. Portland
02/01/17 G CJ Wilcox Knee expected to miss 3-4 weeks
01/19/17 G Jodie Meeks Thumb out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Orlando +2

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