Timberwolves vs. Magic Preview
ORLANDO, FL – The Orlando Magic were scheduled to have three days off without a game after getting blown out in their last game. They should be ready to play now that they have unexpectedly had an extra day off.
The Magic return to the court Wednesday night after having a game postponed due to bizarre circumstances when they try to hand the Minnesota Timberwolves a 15th straight road loss.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Magic -18 point spread favorites for Wednesday’s game against the Timberwolves. Current NBA Public Betting Information shows that 66% of more than 146 bets for this game have been placed on the Timberwolves +18.
Orlando (1-1) has not seen action since Friday’s 96-70 loss at Miami. The Magic were scheduled to play in New York on Tuesday, but the game was postponed due to safety concerns after debris fell into Madison Square Garden during overnight cleaning of asbestos-related materials.
Coach Stan Van Gundy held two long practices after the loss in Miami. The Magic shot 30.4 percent for their worst mark since they finished at 30.4 percent Feb. 11, 2009, in an 82-73 loss to Denver.
“We have to really get into executing on offense, passing better and screening better,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who see themselves as scorers and we don’t have a lot of guys who see themselves as role players. We have proven that our offense can be good against a lot of people, but against the absolute best teams we struggle because we haven’t done those little things.”
Van Gundy’s practice sessions focused on setting screens. He’s hoping it will help the Magic improve on their 25.0 percent 3-point shooting after they finished third in the league at 37.5 percent in 2009-10.
“You gotta let it go, it’s the NBA,” guard Jameer Nelson said. “You win, you can’t get too high. You lose, you can’t get too low. Obviously, it’s game two, you have 80 left.”
One player looking to move on is Rashard Lewis, who is averaging 19.5 points and shooting 48.4 percent on 3-pointers in Orlando’s four-game winning streak over Minnesota (1-3). Lewis missed all nine shots and fouled out in 24 minutes against Miami.
“We totally didn’t play well on offense at all and defense we made mistakes,” Lewis said. “On offense, there was no rhythm at all with just five assists.
“It just lets you know that we’ve got to play harder. We hadn’t lost a game in a month, going undefeated in preseason and we just felt like the way we lost was embarrassing. You can take a loss, but not like that.”
Minnesota also enters off a blowout loss in Miami, but it’s one that may be more costly. The Timberwolves fell 129-97 on Tuesday, and forward Michael Beasley suffered a bruised hip and did not play in the second half in his first game against his former team.
Beasley’s status for Wednesday is unclear.
“It’s unfortunate,” coach Kurt Rambis said. “Right now we don’t have the luxury of having someone like him, a starter, being out of the ballgame.”
The Timberwolves have not won on the road since a 91-88 victory at Miami on Feb. 23.
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