3rd quarter report
Only a quarter remains between the Nuggets and the victory they should get tonight. After three quarters, a win is still possible for both teams, but the Nuggets are ahead of the Magic 98-95.
The Nuggets came into the game with added motivation after suffering a loss the last time these two teams met. We’ll see if they can flip the script or if it’ll just stay more of the same.
who plays
Orlando Magic @ Denver Nuggets
Current records: Orlando 19-15, Denver 25-11
Here’s how to watch
- When: Friday, January 5, 2024, 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Ball Arena – Denver, Colorado
- TV: High-altitude sports and entertainment
- Consequences: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket price: $50.00
What you should know
The Magic face a big challenge as they are expected to come off the field. Their road trip continues when they take on the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on January 5th at 9:00 p.m. ET. The Magic may want to have a little more possession for this game, as the team suffered 20 turnovers on Wednesday.
The Magic fought well in their overtime game against the Kings, but ended up with a less than desirable result. They narrowly trailed the Kings by a score of 138-135. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for the Magic in their matchups with the Kings: They have now lost five straight.
The losing side was bolstered by Paolo Banchero, who shot 6-for-9 from distance and was on his way to 43 points and 5 assists. These 43 points set a new season record for him.
Meanwhile, Denver edged Golden State 130-127 on Thursday thanks to a Nikola Jokic jump shot with less than a second left in the fourth quarter. The victory was all the more spectacular because the Nuggets were down 18 points with 7:24 left in the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets’ win was a true team effort, with many players putting in solid performances. Perhaps the best of them was Jokic, who nearly missed a triple-double with 34 points, nine rebounds and ten assists. Another player who made a difference was Aaron Gordon, who scored 30 points and nine rebounds.
Orlando’s loss was their third straight away loss, dropping their record to 19-15. Worse, they were so close so often: the losses averaged just 4.67 points. As for Denver, they have been performing incredibly well of late as they have won eight of their last nine games, giving their record a nice boost to 25-11 this season.
The Magic didn’t have much breathing room in their last match against the Nuggets in November 2023, but still won 124-119. One of the team’s biggest obstacles in this game was Jokic, who posted a triple-double with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. Now that he has a second chance to win this match, will the Magic be able to contain him? Check back with CBSSports.com after the game to find out.
opportunities
According to the latest data, Denver is the heavy favorite against Orlando by 9.5 points NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the starting position, as the Nuggets were considered 10.5-point favorites at the start of the game.
The over/under is 223.5 points.
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Series story
Denver has won 7 of its last 10 games against Orlando.
- November 22, 2023 – Orlando 124 vs. Denver 119
- February 9, 2023 – Orlando 115 vs. Denver 104
- January 15, 2023 – Denver 119 vs. Orlando 116
- February 14, 2022 – Denver 121 vs. Orlando 111
- December 1, 2021 – Orlando 108 vs. Denver 103
- April 4, 2021 – Denver 119 vs. Orlando 109
- March 23, 2021 – Denver 110 vs. Orlando 99
- December 18, 2019 – Denver 113 vs. Orlando 104
- November 2, 2019 – Denver 91 vs. Orlando 87
- December 5, 2018 – Denver 124 vs. Orlando 118
