Orlando Magic vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, 12/31/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Orlando Magic vs Phoenix Suns

Date: Sunday, December 31, 2023

Location: Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ

TV: AZ Family Sports Network

The Orlando Magic (18-12) are headed to Footprint Center on Sunday where they will meet the Phoenix Suns (15-15).

The Magic stepped onto the hardwood against the 76ers and took a loss by a score of 112-92 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Magic finished with 18 while the 76ers finished the game with 19 personal fouls. They made 10 of 28 tries from 3-point range. Philadelphia ended up shooting 70.6% when shooting free throws by knocking down 12 of 17 attempts. Furthermore, Philadelphia had 48 boards (12 offensive, 36 defensive) and added 11 blocks. Philadelphia doled out 14 assists and had 10 steals for this contest. Regarding the defense, Orlando allowed 46.9% from the field on 45 out of 96 shooting. They also recorded 17 dimes in the game in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When it comes to pulling down boards, they compiled 43 with 9 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Magic made 21 of their 24 attempts for a percentage of 87.5%. Orlando ended the contest with a 39.2% FG percentage (31 of 79) and converted 9 out of their 33 shots from distance.

Franz Wagner is one player who was a contributor in the game. He recorded 24 points on 8 out of 16 shooting. He played 36 mins and grabbed 5 rebounds. Wagner ended up shooting 50.0% from the field and recorded 3 assists.

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Orlando will take the court with a win-loss record of 18-12 this year. They are turning it over 14.8 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 21.3 personal fouls every game. As a team, Orlando is pulling down 43.5 boards per game and has totaled 750 dimes this year, which is 25th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Magic are shooting 33.7% on 3-point shots (300 of 891) and 76.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 112.9 points per game (22nd in the NBA) while going 47.4% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Magic are able to force 15.6 turnovers per game while drawing 22.9 fouls. They surrender 36.9% on three-point shots and they are 6th in the league in points per game allowed (110.7). The Magic defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 47.1% (1,208 of 2,565) and they relinquish 41.2 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They currently rank 2nd in the NBA in allowing assists with 699 conceded so far this season.

In their last game, the Suns walked away with a victory by a final of 129-113 when they played the Rockets. The Suns were able to corral 36 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 in the game. They coughed it up 19 times, while getting 4 steals in this contest. The Rockets committed 21 fouls in this matchup which took the Suns to the free throw line for a total of 26 shots. They were able to convert 21 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 80.8%. Pertaining to shots from beyond the perimeter, Phoenix knocked down 14 of their 33 tries (42.4%). In all, the Suns shot 47 out of 82 from the floor which gave them a rate of 57.3%. The Suns allowed the Rockets to convert 40 out of their 96 tries from the field which had them sitting at 41.7% for this game. They finished shooting 41.5% from behind the 3-point line via 17 out of 41 and finished the game at 16 out of 22 from the free throw line (72.7%). In the matter of attacking the glass, Phoenix allowed Houston to pull down 33 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Kevin Durant ended up being a factor for the Suns in this matchup. Durant had 27 points in his 41 minutes on the court and accumulated 16 dimes in the matchup. He made 9 of 16 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 56.3%, and earned 10 rebounds.

Phoenix has a win-loss mark of 15-15 for the year. The Suns are committing 19.0 personal fouls every game while shooting 82.5% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 26.1 times per game (15th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 15.1 times per contest. Phoenix has tallied 3,449 points on the campaign (115.0 per contest) and they pull in 44.2 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Suns are hitting on 47.3% from the floor, which ranks them 14th in basketball.

The Phoenix defense surrenders 36.0% on 3-point shots (370 of 1,029) and their opponents are connecting on 79.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 25.1 assists and 41.1 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 8th and 3rd in basketball. The Suns on defense are ranked 16th in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 114.5. They are able to force 12.4 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 46.3% from the floor (13th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Phoenix

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