Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards 1/25/19: Starting Lineups, Matchup Breakdown, Odds, Daily Fantasy, Betting
Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards Preview
Tonight’s matchup features the Washington Wizards (20-27) travelling to Orlando to face the Magic (20-28) in a Southeastern division showdown. The season series currently sits at 1-1, with the home team winning each matchup, but the division foes haven’t met since early November.
A lot has changed since their last matchup, where the 4-9 Wizards took down the 6-7 Magic. Now, the division rivals find themselves in the center of a crowded Eastern conference playoff race. After a midseason surge, the Magic have slumped recently, going 3-7 over their last 10 games. They now find themselves 3 games out of the final playoff spot, and they will be desperate to beat the Wizards, who only sit a half-game ahead of them in the standings.
On the other hand, the Wizards have overcome a horrible start to the season that saw them sitting at a dismal 13-23 at the end of December. However, they’ve turned it around in January, and they look to continue to gain momentum as they charge up the Eastern Conference standings.
TV Schedule
Date: 01/25/19
Time: 7:00pm ET
Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
Channel: NBCSWA, FSFL
Orlando Magic Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | DJ Augustin |
| SG | Evan Fournier |
| SF | Jonathan Isaac |
| PF | Aaron Gordon |
| C | Nikola Vucevic |
Magic Analysis
The Magic are coming off of another heartbreaking loss, their second devastating defeat to the Brooklyn Nets in less than a week. Again, the Magic led late in the fourth quarter, but costly mistakes and fluke plays allowed the Nets to mount a comeback.
Star center Nikola Vucevic had a solid, 21 point and 14 rebound night, but found himself in multiple tough situations at the end of the game. With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Montenegrin center charged into Nets guard Joe Harris, then accidentally tipped a Brooklyn miss into his own basket while trying to capture a rebound less than a minute later. To cap off his unfortunate game, Vucevic’s potentially game-tying tip-in at the other end of the court was waved off for offensive goaltending with three seconds left on the clock. The Magic star believes the team still has playoff potential, but was visibly frustrated after the tight loss, telling the media “It’s a tough one for sure.” He will try to attack inexperienced Wizards center Thomas Bryant in tonight’s matchup to try to reignite the Magic’s playoff hope.
After missing two games last week with a sore lower back, Aaron Gordon struggled in his return against the Nets. Gordon couldn’t find his rhythm on the offensive end, seemed lost at times on the defense, and ended with a disappointing stat line of 10 points and 3 fouls in just 24 minutes. However, as Gordon struggled against the Nets, fellow forward Jonathan Isaac provided a solid 16 point, 3 block performance while recording a career high 35 minutes. It will be interesting to see how Magic coach Steve Clifford juggles Gordon’s and Isaac’s minutes as Gordon returns to full strength.
Magic Quick Links: Magic Starting Lineup, Magic Roster, Magic Depth Chart, Magic Injuries, Magic News, Magic Schedule
Washington Wizards Preview Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | Tomas Satoransky |
| SG | Bradley Beal |
| SF | Jeff Green |
| PF | Trevor Ariza |
| C | Thomas Bryant |
Contents
Wizards Analysis
A lot has changed since the early season meetings between the Magic and Wizards, most notably the season-ending injury to Wizards star John Wall. In the teams’ last meeting, Wall torched the Magic as the Wizards pulled away down the stretch to win 117-109. Unfortunately, Wall was ruled out for the season in late December after undergoing surgery to repair his left heel. In his absence, Bradley Beal has stepped up as the leader of the team, averaging 29 points in the month of January to help lead the Wizards back into the playoff discussion after a disastrous 13-23 start. Beal will also be playing with a chip on his shoulder after missing out on a starting spot in the all-star game, and he will be playing to try to prove his worth as a potential reserve.
Veteran small forward Trevor Ariza has also been a major part of the team’s recent success. While Beal struggled against the Warriors last night, Ariza took over the workload, leading all Wizards scorers with 27 points. In his last 5 games, Ariza has averaged over 20 points per game, but it will be interesting to see how the veteran plays in the second game of a back-to-back after logging 39 minutes in last night’s contest.
Czech shooting guard Tomas Satoransky is also coming off of a big night against the Warriors, as he contributed a season high 20 points in the close loss. Since Wall’s injury, Satoransky has received a massive increase in workload, and the third year player has blossomed into a consistent starter for the Wizards. Along with his big scoring night, Satoransky also added 10 assists in last night’s contest, the third time in the last six games his assists number has been in double figures.
Wizards Quick Links: Wizards Starting Lineup, Wizards Roster, Wizards Depth Chart, Wizards Injuries, Wizards News, Wizards Schedule
Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards Betting Odds
For tonight’s game, the Magic have opened as a 4 point favorite at home. The Wizards are only 20-26 ATS this season, including a dreadful 6-17 record on the road, but have compiled an 8-2 record ATS in their last 10 games. On the other hand, the Magic are 24-23 ATS this season, but are only 10-12 ATS at home. The over-under is currently listed at 218 points, but in both of their previous matchups this season, the Magic and Wizards have combined for at least 225 points.
Odds & Line Movement Links: Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards, Vegas Odds (All NBA Games Today)
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DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Picks
Nikola Vucevic ($9,700) is the standout fantasy player for tonight’s matchup. The Magic center is coming off of a 58 point fantasy night against the Nets on Wednesday, and he will look to exploit an inexperienced Washington interior. On a similar note, Magic forward Aaron Gordon ($6,500) will also look to attack the basket, and he should be ready to return to peak form after struggling against the Nets in his first game back from a minor injury.
Washington sharpshooters Bradley Beal ($8,900) and Trevor Ariza ($6,300) will also look to continue their hot streaks against the Magic. Ariza has been consistent as of late, topping 30 fantasy points in each of his last 5 games. The small forward also has a high ceiling, as shown by his 54.3 fantasy point outing against Toronto on January 13th. Beal is pricier, and has only failed to score less than 40 fantasy points once in January, but his 1-9 performance from behind the arc against the Warriors last night isn’t a great sign for a streaky shooter like Beal.
Find all of our Fanduel and Draftkings projections here: https://www.lineups.com/nba/nba-fantasy-basketball-projections.
