Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors 12/28/18: Starting Lineups, Matchup Breakdown, Odds, Daily Fantasy, Betting
Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors Preview
The Toronto Raptors (26-10) travel to the Magic Kingdom to take on a familiar foe tonight in the Orlando Magic (14-19) in a matchup with teams almost on the opposite spectrums of the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors have had no problems dispatching of the Magic in recent history and took a win in their most recent matchup on November 20, 93-91. While Evan Fournier paced the Magic and led both teams in scoring with 27 points that night, and Nikola Vucevic was a force on the boards with 18 rebounds, it was new Raptor Danny Green who knocked down the shot that sank the Magic.
Green and the Raptors hope to continue that trend, and the trend that gives them a five-game winning streak over the Magic and 10 wins in their last 12 road games in Orlando.
The Magic could use a win against the league’s top team to put an end to their four-game losing streak.
TV Schedule
Date: 12/28/18
Time: 7:00pm ET
Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
Channel: SN1/FSFL
Orlando Magic Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | DJ Augustin |
| SG | Evan Fournier |
| SF | Jonathan Isaac |
| PF | Aaron Gordon |
| C | Nikola Vucevic |
Magic Analysis
After a brief two-game win streak over one week ago, the Orlando Magic have lost their last four, most of which have been by quite a large margin. Against San Antonio, Chicago, and Miami, they lost by an average of over 24 points. They took the Phoenix Suns to overtime on Wednesday night but ended up losing by two.
Things won’t get any easier tonight as they take on the league’s top team. It took big efforts from Nikola Vucevic and D.J. Augustin to even get to overtime against the Suns, but the Magic will need more from their supporting cast and especially one player that was expected to take another step forward into possibly being the team’s marquee player, forward Aaron Gordon.
Gordon has seemed to regress from last season. He is down in scoring average and rebounds. The month of December has not been kind to the 6-9 forward, with averages of 13.6 points per game on 37 percent shooting from the field.
The Magic will continue to look to Terrence Ross and Jonathon Simmons on the bench for scoring help, especially when Gordon and Jonathan Isaac are struggling.
Magic Quick Links: Magic Starting Lineup, Magic Roster, Magic Depth Chart, Magic Injuries, Magic News, Magic Schedule
Toronto Raptors Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | Kyle Lowry |
| SG | Danny Green |
| SF | Kawhi Leonard |
| PF | Pascal Siakam |
| C | Serge Ibaka |
Contents
Raptors Analysis
While the Raptors hang onto the league’s best record, they’ve been a .500 team lately, but it’s important to note the injuries they’ve suffered. Point guard Kyle Lowry was out of the last game, and Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, Danny Green, and Lowry have all missed time recently with Jonas Valanciunas still out.
The Raptors won their most recent game over the Miami Heat after a big loss without Leonard against Philadelphia. Toronto is 5-5 in their last 10, but most expect the Raptors to have much more success once they are back near full health.
Against the Heat, it was Toronto’s transplants from San Antonio that led the Raptors past the Heat. Leonard finished with 30 points and eight rebounds, and Green had 18 and six rebounds.
Fred VanVleet got the start in Lowry’s place and delivered on offense with 16 points.
Raptors Quick Links: Raptors Starting Lineup, Raptors Roster, Raptors Depth Chart, Raptors Injuries, Raptors News, Raptors Schedule
Orlando vs. Toronto Raptors Betting Odds
Toronto is the -7 favorite tonight with an over/under of 209.5.
The Raptors are 120-65 after a win, and the Magic are 57-104 after a loss.
Odds & Line Movement Links: Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors, Vegas Odds (All NBA Games Today)
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DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Picks
Nikola Vucevic ($9.1k) and Kawhi Leonard ($10.3k) are fantasy studs for tonight’s matchup in Orlando. Vucevic has been one of the few bright spots in Orlando this season and he’s projected for 43.67 points on FanDuel tonight. Leonard is one of those rare fantasy unicorns who is capable of boosting several categories. Tonight, he’s expected to have a fantasy performance of 46.22 points.
Pascal Siakam ($6.6k) has had several fantasy performances over 30 points in the past week. He’s a value pickup projected to finish with 27.72 points on FanDuel tonight. Evan Fournier ($5.7k) has been a consistent performer for the Magic this season, and his salary along with a projection of 26.32 points make him an easy value pick on Orlando’s roster.
Find all of our Fanduel and Draftkings projections here: https://www.lineups.com/nba/nba-fantasy-basketball-projections.
