The Orlando Magic had won three-straight and appeared to be getting things together, but it turns out it may just have been a soft stretch of schedule as the Magic have now dropped back-to-back contests against Boston and Charlotte to fall to 10-14 on the season. The Magic host the Denver Nuggets as 3-point underdogs on NBA League Pass at 6 PM (Central) with an over/under set at 207 for the game.

Orlando has been a top defensive team this season, but the problem has been getting buckets. The Magic rank No. 5 in allowing just 99.2 points per game, but Orlando scores just 94 of its own, ranking second-to-last in points per game. The Magic also rank No. 29 in offensive rating, scoring just 99.7 points per-100 possessions. Its defense is slightly overrated as the result of it playing the No. 24 paced offense. The Magic rank No. 13 in defensive rating, despite vast improvements on the interior from the additions of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo.

Frank Vogel has gone to starting the pair together while also promoting D.J. Augustin to the starting 1-spot. Elfrid Payton and Nikola Vucevic have thrived off the bench, but Orlando’s outside shooting and small forward play has been shaky at best all season. The Magic shoot just 32.9 percent from three as a team, and only three players have made more than 30 on the season (Ibaka, Augustin and Evan Fournier). The Magic have been pleased with the production of Fournier, but to be clear this is a team with no legitimate No. 1 scoring option. The Magic may be better suited to still have the high-scoring Tobias Harris at the 3-spot, rather than try to force fit former No. 4 overall pick Aaron Gordon into the 3-spot when he is truly a power forward. No matter the case, Orlando fields top defenders at most positions and that is what has kept the team afloat through a horrendous offensive start. It was clear going into this season that shooting and scoring would be a problem for Orlando, and it may be that the team looks to move one of its athletes or defenders for a big scorer in February if it wants to be serious postseason threats in any way. Alternatively, the Magic could just not get better and net a high pick in the 2017 draft, which is relatively deep and abundant in players that could fill needs on the Magic roster.

Denver is 8-15 on the season and has also lost its past two games, falling 116-111 to Brooklyn and 92-85 to Washington. The Nuggets have lost 7 of its past 9 games and are 3.5 games out of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Denver has a -3.0 point differential and gives up 108.5 points per game. Its defense is the fourth-weakest in the West, and the Nuggets are really a team oriented around a high-scoring backcourt that can get the team out in transition.

Denver is led by second-year point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, and he is a high octane guard capable of playing both ends of the court. Mudiay averages 13.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season while posting a pitiful PER of 9.2. His outside shooting is the cause of that weak statistic, as Mudiay connects on just 34.8 percent from the floor and 26.5 percent from deep. Will Barton has been the top scoring guard at 14.3 points per game, but he is not shooting a great clip either (41 and 33 percent). 
