ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Basketball Association’s trade deadline is now officially in the rearview mirror, and the Orlando Magic’s front office stood pat, making no moves at all by the end of the day.
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The team is currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, and they believe they’re talented enough to make a playoff push.
At 27-24, the team has a record above .500 through 50 games of the season for the first time in more than a decade.
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Head Coach Jamahl Mosley says keeping the group as it is may prove to be an advantage.
“I know that (President of Basketball Operations Weltman) Jeff and his team do a tremendous job of looking at things, dissecting things, teams calling, all of those things come into play, and we do a great job of communicating with each other,” Mosley said after the trade deadline passed. “I think the one piece with this group is that, there’s something to be said about the chemistry, and continuity, and health of this Orlando Magic basketball team.”
The Magic return to the Kia Center Thursday night after a five-game road trip that ended with a 3-2 record, with one of those wins coming against Thursday’s opponent, the San Antonio Spurs.
The game will be a battle between the last two first overall NBA draft picks: Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero and 7-foot 4-inch tall rookie Victor Wembanyama.
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Last Wednesday in San Antonio, the Frenchman went for 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks, but the Magic would still win the game by a comfortable 10-point margin.
The Magic’s front court says they’re eager for the rematch.
“Wemby’s a fantastic player,” Magic Forward Wendell Carter, Jr. said. “It’s always good going against good players, especially one like him, kind of a unicorn kind of guy. Never seen anything like him ever, so it’s kind of unique to just share the court with him, for sure.”
“You just try and play him as tough as you can,” Magic Forward Jonathan Isaac added. “He’s kind of just an audible when it comes to his length, and his size, and his touch around the rim, and his ability to shoot the ball, so I’ll just try my best to stay attached to him, but he’s a tough cover and some things you just have to live with.”
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The Spurs have the worst record in the Western Conference so far at 10-41, so the Magic should take care of business Thursday to open up what will be a four-game home stand.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. We’ll have highlights after the game on Eyewitness News Tonight at 11 p.m.
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