NBA Matchups: December 1

Washington Wizards at Orlando Magic (front end)

Team Totals: Wizards 113.8, Magic 124.8

Injury Report: Paolo Banchero (P, ankle), Markelle Fultz (O, knee), Jonathan Isaac (Q, ankle)

Wizards projected starters: Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Gafford

Magic projected starters: Anthony Black, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Goga Bitadze

Unseld quotes: Nothing.

Mosley quotes: Said they were a little sloppy with the ball vs. Washington, said they have to clean up their transition defense, said Franz has worked really hard to get out of his slump, said Paolo and Franz are playing off each other really well, said Paolo turned his ankle and it kept him on the bench.

Stats and Notes: 

*These teams faced off on Wednesday and the Magic just coasted to a 139-120 win thanks to 66 points in the paint and 25 points off turnovers. Nothing has changed with the Washington D, ranking dead last overall, dead last in the halfcourt, dead last in ORB% allowed in the halfcourt, dead last in putback points per miss, dead last in percentage of plays run in the halfcourt (meaning they allow the highest), and allowing the second-most points at the rim. Someone is going off on them basically every slate. On the other side, the Magic have seen their rim defense take a small hit recently and there’s been a little slippage in transition defense. That was an area the Wizards were able to have success, as the Magic allowed a season-high 38 points in transition. There’s always blowout risk, but the Wizards are at least ranked 18th in offense to give them a chance to hang around in games long enough.

*Kyle Kuzma continues to have one of the best roles in the NBA. His touch stats don’t pop like other wings, but he makes ‘em count with an average of 24/6/7 over his last nine (32 MPG). The Magic put Franz Wagner on him on Wednesday, and that matchup should be on tap for this one. The inconsistent minutes from the guards give Kuzma an attractive floor/ceiling combo, assuming the Wizards can hang around here.

*Jordan Poole had his minutes cut down again, but this time it was more about the blowout and not Unseld wanting to play Bilal Coulibaly. Poole will get matched up with Jalen Suggs again, but the matchup won’t matter too much with Poole getting nine points in transition for a season-high output this year. The matchup is fine and he could launch shots, but the downside is so scary.

*Deni Avdija hurt his elbow on Wednesday, but he said he could’ve come back into the game had it been close. The Magic put Paolo on him, but like Poole, Deni was running for a season-high nine transition points. It’s not a terrible matchup, and the smaller slate today makes him viable.

*Tyus Jones lost his minutes again, getting to just 21 in the blowout loss on Wednesday. Unseld hates how small he is, and the Magic having so much size makes this a terrible spot for him. Just trade him already.

*Daniel Gafford’s matchup isn’t terrible and the Wizards were able to muster up 14 second-chance points. The problem was he didn’t get any run in the fourth quarter, which has been a trend because of blowouts. He’s fine.

*Paolo Banchero’s ankle will be a big factor here. While he is listed as probable, he did turn it pretty good and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets downgraded. The Wizards opted to put Kuzma on him on Wednesday, and he was able to slow him down a tad. I’d be a little cautious with his ankle here, but the matchup is terrific.

*The Magic lead the NBA in rim points, and you might be surprised that Franz Wagner is their team’s top rim scorer per game. Franz is cooking as a rim scorer at 14 per game over his last seven, which would rank third in the NBA on the year (Giannis and Zion). Franz is also coming off his best PNR handler game all season with 10 points on that play type as he gave Deni the business. Plus, he’s starting to get it rolling as a driver at a 61.8 FG% over his last five. When you factor in Paolo’s ankle, this is a huge spot for Franz.

*Centers vs. Washington is a print fest, but Goga Bitadze did have a letdown on Wednesday. I’d be willing to go back to the well here, especially if Paolo is a little limited.

*Jalen Suggs gets Jordan Poole on him, so he’s clearly an option in this spot. Suggs is sneakily having a great year off the ball at a 1.29 PPP on his C&S shots, and he’s been a good rim finisher after major concerns there in previous years. He’s in play.

*Cole Anthony is also an option. He’s been turning up the heat on his drives at 12.4 per game to lead the team over his last five, but he’s still been unable to deliver as a PNR scorer. The matchup is pretty good with a lot of Landry Shamet on him, so I’d be down for Cole. I like Suggs more, though.

Great matchups: The Magic (Franz Wagner, Goga Bitadze)

Good matchups: Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero (watch for ankle), Cole Anthony, Kyle Kuzma

Bad matchups: Daniel Gafford

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Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics