Who’s Playing
Orlando Magic @ Phoenix Suns
Current Records: Orlando 8-6, Phoenix 9-5
How To Watch
When: Monday, November 18, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
Monday, November 18, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET Where: Footprint Center — Phoenix, Arizona
Footprint Center — Phoenix, Arizona TV: Arizona Family Sports Network
Arizona Family Sports Network Follow: CBS Sports App
CBS Sports App Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.) Ticket Cost: $13.99
What to Know
The Magic have enjoyed a five-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Phoenix Suns at 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Footprint Center. The Magic are expected to win (but not by much) so they will need to come into the matchup prepared for a fight.
The Magic are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 208.5, but even that wound up being too high. They came out on top against the 76ers by a score of 98-86 on Friday.
The Magic can attribute much of their success to Franz Wagner, who dropped a double-double on 31 points and 11 rebounds. The match was Wagner’s third in a row with at least 30 points.
Even though they won, the Magic struggled to work together and finished the game with only 15 assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, the Suns’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Sunday after their third straight loss. They lost 120-117 to the Timberwolves on a last-minute shot From Julius Randle. The loss hurts even more since Phoenix was up 38-22 with 10:32 left in the second.
Despite the defeat, the Suns got top-tier performance from Devin Booker, who had 44 points along with seven assists and six rebounds. Booker had some trouble finding his footing against the Thunder on Friday, so this was a step in the right direction.
Orlando’s victory was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-6. As for Phoenix, their loss dropped their record down to 9-5.
The Magic strolled past the Suns when the teams last played back in January by a score of 113-98. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Booker, who went 17 for 26 en route to 44 points plus two blocks. Now that he’s got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Magic still be able to contain Booker? There’s only one way to find out.
Odds
Orlando is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Phoenix, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Suns as a 2.5-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 211.5 points.
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Series History
Phoenix has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Orlando.