The Magic outscored the Warriors 14-2 in the final three minutes to pull out a compelling victory on Thursday. Orlando missed just one shot from the field during this clutch stretch, while Golden State went 1-of-7. This stretch is tied for the Warriors' worst point differential in the final three minutes of a game under Steve Kerr.
The Magic finished 8-3 in February and led the NBA in defensive efficiency (100) and net efficiency during that span (plus-11.9). Thursday also marked the Magic's 18th outright win as underdogs, second most in the NBA behind the Hawks (19).
It's best to embrace variance when it comes to the Magic's scoring microwave, Terrence Ross. The former Washington Huskie scored 28 points a week ago in Toronto against the team that drafted him and yet followed that with a three-point showing against the Knicks on Tuesday. Against the Warriors, Ross bounced back yet again with a team-best plus-17 net rating and scored 16 points off the bench in the critical win, evidence he's going to shoot his way through any interim cold stretches.
During Orlando's stellar recent stretch of play, Ross has averaged 17.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and most importantly 3.2 3PG the past 12 games. Another quietly crucial element to Ross' game is elite free throw efficiency, as he's made 87 percent for the season and 96.6 percent from the stripe the past month. Ross doesn't do much beyond shoot and score, but he's a difference-maker in those categories and remains available in free agency in more than 60 percent of ESPN leagues. Ross should continue to thrive as Orlando's version of Lou Williams in the weeks ahead.
Thursday recap
Highlights
Bojan Bogdanovic, Indiana Pacers: 37 points (13-22 FG), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 TO
James Harden, Houston Rockets: 58 points (16-32 FG), 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, 4 TO
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: 42 points (15-29 FG), 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 TO
Lowlights
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors: 5 points (2-4 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves: 11 points (4-14 FG), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 TO
Thursday takeaways
Behind 58 points from James Harden, including 34 in the second half, the Rockets defeated the Heat in a close battle on Thursday. Harden recorded his sixth 50-point game of the season, tied with Kobe Bryant in 2005-06 for third most in a single season in the past 50 years. It was also Harden's 15th career 50-point game, passing Rick Barry for fifth most in NBA history. He still has a long way to catch Wilt Chamberlain, who has 118 career 50-point games.
Bogdanovic took over the game for the Pacers in a crucial win over the Timberwolves. Leading the team's offense in the wake of Victor Oladipo's season-ending injury, Bogdanovic tallied the second-most points in a game of his career, helping fuel Indiana's ninth straight home win against sub-.500 foes.
Towns scored a career-high 23 points for a quarter in the first frame against the Pacers on the way to his fifth career game with at least 40 points and 15 rebounds, tying him for the most such outings in franchise history with Kevin Love. Despite the loss, Towns has impressively scored at least 30 points in three straight games, tied for the third-longest streak in franchise history.
The 76ers snapped a 19-game losing streak against the Thunder, which was the longest active losing streak by one team against a single opponent. Now the Warriors against the Suns (18 straight wins) is the longest such streak. Ben Simmons produced only 11 points but also his ninth triple-double this season, trailing only Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokic for the campaign. Tobias Harris scored 32 points, his most points since being traded to the 76ers, including a personal 10-0 run late in the game that helped secure the victory for Philly. Jonah Bolden played well in limited minutes and could be a worthy streaming option in deeper leagues against a motivated Warriors team on Saturday night in South Philly with Joel Embiid's status still a bit murky.
Westbrook notched yet another triple-double in the loss but made just one of nine attempts from 3-point range and continues to struggle with his shot. The performance did mark Westbrook's third straight season with 25 triple-doubles (tied for most in NBA history with Oscar Robertson). Markieff Morris started and was efficient and effective for the Thunder in limited minutes but will need to earn a larger role going forward to merit interest from managers in standard fantasy leagues.
Injuries of note
The Suns' Devin Booker is questionable for tonight's matchup with the Pelicans with a toe ailment.
Kings rookie Marvin Bagley III suffered a sprain to his left knee against the Bucks on Wednesday night and will miss one to two weeks, per reports. Given the initial scare when the injury occurred in a collision with Malcolm Brogdon, this prognosis comes as positive news for both the Kings and Bagley's fantasy managers.
Analytics advantage for Friday
Speaking of the Suns, their game with the Pelicans claims the second-highest total of Friday's seven-game slate at a healthy 237.5. The Pelicans claim the fifth-fastest pace and the Suns rate 29th in defensive rating for the season, signaling some fun stacking angles for New Orleans' rotation. I'm keen on shares of Julius Randle against a Phoenix frontcourt that lacks rim protection and has ceded 52.7 points per game in the paint this season, most in the league.
Conversely, Deandre Ayton is modestly priced on DraftKings and could eat, since Anthony Davis is scheduled to play only around 25 minutes with no exposure in the fourth quarter in what continues to be an odd arrangement. The Pelicans, for their part, have allowed the third-most points in the paint (56) during the past 10 games, signaling DFS interest in Kelly Oubre Jr. and streaming value for Tyler Johnson from Phoenix.
Top players to watch tonight
At 10:30 ET on ESPN, the Lakers host the league-leading Bucks, as Los Angeles looks to remain in the playoff hunt. LeBron James holds a 14-3 record in head-to-head meetings against Giannis Antetokounmpo, but this matchup could be very different from prior years.
Since Giannis entered the league in 2013-14, he has matched up defensively against LeBron 485 times, sixth most in the NBA over that span. In those matchups, LeBron's teams have averaged 119.8 points per 100 possessions, fourth-most allowed by a defender (min. 200 matchups).
When looking at just last season, the Cavaliers averaged 111.3 points per 100 possessions when Giannis matched up defensively on LeBron. This season, the Bucks are allowing the fewest points per game in the paint (41) and claim the top defensive rating (104 points allowed per 100 possessions) in the league, adding to the challenge for James and the Lakers.
While paying up for both superstar forwards could prove savvy in daily fantasy play, it's also intriguing to consider Nikola Mirotic tonight at modest pricing on DraftKings thanks to increased offensive equity of late.
