Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic will aim to snap a two-game losing streak when they take on the Washington Wizards at home on Friday night, here at the Amway Center. The start time for this game is 7:00 pm ET and the Wizards enter this contest as a -5.5 point favorite, according to the Sportsline, which you can see and get picks other information here –while the over/under is 226 points.
Banchero heads into the game averaging 20.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. He, however, is coming off a 15-point and five rebounds performance in the defeat versus the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night and was held to just four points and five rebounds in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers the night before.
The rookie returns home tonight hoping to find back the form that helped the Magic win six straight games in the middle parts of this month. Orlando is currently 13-23 overall this season and sits 13th in the Eastern Conference standings. Read Also: Doncic collects another triple-double; Mavericks 129 beat Rockets 114 highlights, stats
Meanwhile, Washington is in good form heading into the road fixture, having won three straight against Sacramento, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. After losing 10 games in a row, the Wizards have won four of the past five overall and they begin a three-game road trip looking to prolong this winning streak for as long as possible.
Washington has a 15-21 overall record this season and sits 12th in the Eastern Conference standings –two games above the Magic and 11 games behind conference leaders Boston Celtics.
Bradley Beal leads the Wizards on offense this season with 23.5 points per game, while he’s also dishing out 5.2 assists with 3.6 rebounds and shooting 52.7 percent from the field. He, however, is listed as questionable for Friday’s game due to a hamstring injury.
Beal warmed up ahead of Wednesday’s game against Phoenix but was eventually ruled out with the muscle injury. It is more than likely he will take the court versus Orlando on Friday, though. If he’s unable to go, it is likely Corey Kispert will start in his place.
Meanwhile, for the Magic, Paolo Banchero is expected to be supported by Franz Wagner who is averaging 20.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 46.9% over the last 10 games.
