Orlando Magic
Even though the form of the team’s current squad raises a lot of questions, the Magic still proudly remain in the upper half of the Eastern Conference standings. The primary concern of the team is the endless injuries to pivotal players. As it stands, Germany’s Franz and Moritz Wagner are still out, which somewhat diminishes the team’s attacking threat. Nonetheless, Paolo Banchero is nearly fit to start which may also help.
Currently, Orlando is built around several roster challenges, however, they’ve still managed to beat the New York Knicks in their last game 103-94, which was quite the upset. Cole Anthony was the clutch player in that match scoring 24 points. Currently led by Jamahl Mosley, the team has often has alternating wins and losses trying to defend their position in the top 8. They’ll hope to strengthen their playoff position by winning the next home fixture coming up.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota is progressing well in the Western Conference, currently holding the eighth spot. Two important back-to-back wins, one over the New Orleans Pelicans and the other against the Los Angeles Clippers, gave a much-needed boost to the team. Chris Finch’s squad had previously struggled to get their wheels rolling but thanks to this newfound motivation, they seem to be on the right track now.
The Timberwolves have minimal injury concerns which is one of their biggest strengths. Also, players like Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are on fire. The Wolves do have a tough match against Orlando however, based on their current performance, we can expect them to perform well against Orlando as well.