Game night preview
ORLANDO MAGIC vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS
Friday, Feb. 19. 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Amway Arena
Orlando, FL
When Caron Butler buried a game-winning jumper in Orlando two weeks ago, the Magic probably figured they
wouldn’t have to see him again any time soon. The Dallas Mavericks (33-21, 17-12 road), the Magic’s opponent on Friday, cancelled that idea however when they acquired Butler from the Washington Wizards during the All-Star break. Some hoops analysts suggest that the addition of Butler along with Brendan Haywood catapults the Mavericks into the elite class of the Western Conference. They now feature a lineup that includes Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Butler and Haywood. Not bad at all. Orlando (37-18, 21-5 home) will certainly need to deliver its A game, and it all starts with Dwight Howard. The MVP candidate has been extraordinary as of late – recording 16 straight double-doubles. This matchup will also be an intriguing test to see how the Magic respond against one of the West’s best. The last time they competed against a first-rate Western Conference squad, the Magic played very well. Despite falling short against the L.A. Lakers in the finale of a West Coast road trip recently, Orlando showed it can keep up with the upper echelon teams. The Magic will also be looking for some revenge. They lost to the Mavericks at home last season.| Team | Record | Standings | PF | PA | Road/Home | Streak | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | 33-21 | 1st Southwest / 4th West | 101.1 | 99.5 | Road 17-12 | Won 1 | 4-6 |
| Orlando | 37-18 | 1st Southeast / 2nd East | 101.4 | 95.8 | Home 21-5 | Won 1 | 8-2 |
Here is the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports.
The Magic are 6 point favorites.
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 4:20 AM
3 Comments:
At 4:38 AM,
Mike from Illinois said…
Good test for the Magic tonight with the new-look Mavericks. Hopefully, they can contain Caron Butler, but they'll also have to deal with Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, and Jason Kidd.
As long as the Magic continue getting the ball inside to D12, I like their chances of winning, especially if Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson can play as well as they did Wednesday night.
At 12:58 PM,
Big Figure said…
Dallas still doesnt have any post players really,so the magic need to not allow any dunks or lay-ups. Force them to shoot and the magic should be fine. Stay down on pump-fakes and challenge shots,while at the same time dwight needs to stay out of foul trouble as well. Jameer and VC need to just keep on keepin on and do the same things they've been doing lately. I cant wait to see MB vs caron tonight,he needs to force him to dwight and let dwight block all his shots.
At 3:48 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
I think Brendan Haywood gives the Mavericks a better post presence than what they had, but it's not anything that D12 can't handle.
It was against Dallas last season at home in early February that Jameer Nelson suffered the dislocated shoulder that ended his season (until the NBA Finals).
Post a Comment
<< Home