Orlando's problem is simple to explain and hard to fix. Banchero is out 4 to 6 weeks with a right high-ankle sprain. Suggs has a bone bruise in his right knee and is still waiting on his re-evaluation. Noah Penda has a partially torn hamstring, Izaiyah Nelson hasn't returned from offseason ankle surgery, and Jonathan Isaac is out again tonight despite being recalled from the G League. That leaves a roster that has scored 99, 97, 94 and 104 in 4 of its last 5. The one exception was a 121-114 win in Toronto, 2 nights after the Raptors beat them by 30.
The latest loss followed the same pattern. Phoenix beat Orlando 117-104, led by 23 through 3 quarters behind Devin Booker's 26, and did it on the 2nd night of a back-to-back while missing 3 players of its own. The Magic put up 31 in the 4th quarter, but only after the game was decided. A team that can't make it close against a tired Suns group now faces a hot Warriors offense in its own building.
Clippers124-112
The Warriors aren't at full strength either, and the game-day report made it thinner. Draymond Green (right elbow), Gary Payton II (right calf) and Gui Santos (left knee tendinitis) are all questionable. That's on top of Jimmy Butler III, out until January or February after a torn ACL, Moses Moody, targeting December or January after rupturing his patellar tendon, and Kristaps Porzingis, who announced he's stepping away from basketball. The frontcourt was already leaning on Charles Bassey, whose 19 covered for it against Miami. If Green and Santos both sit, that leans harder. Golden State's best player is healthy and playing at his peak, but the bodies around him are getting scarce.
Tipoff is 5:30 PM PT. This is the 2nd stop on a western trip for Orlando, with Sacramento and Utah right after. The Magic have lost 3 straight and need to find points somewhere besides the 4th quarter of a game that's already gone. For Golden State, it's a home game against a 2-6 team missing its franchise player. The Warriors have handled that kind of opponent all week, and the only thing that would make this interesting is if they don't, which is a little more possible if Green's elbow keeps him in a suit.
