Orlando Magic vs Washington Wizards Prediction & Match Preview - December 26, 2020 | NBA Season 2020-21
The Washington Wizards will look for their first win of the 2020-21 NBA season as they prepare to take on the Orlando Magic. The Wizards will be looking to earn a playoff birth this season after missing the cut in the 2019-20 campaign. While the Magic will try to prove themselves as a top team in the Eastern Conference and expand upon the 8th seed they earned last season.
Match Details
Fixture: Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards - NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Saturday, December 26th, 7 PM ET
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Washington Wizards Preview
The Washington Wizards showed promising glimpses despite a 6-point defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener. The new-look wizards who traded John Wall for Russell Westbrook belive they have a playoff-caliber roster and can battle for a high playoff seed with the former league MVP.
For the Washington Wizards to get on track and earn their first win, they will need to take care of the ball better. The Wizards had a total of 20 turnovers, with twelve coming from their two all-stars Westbrook and Beal, who had six each.
If the Wizards are to beat the Orlando Magic in their home-opener, it could come down to who wins the turnover battle.
Key Player - Russell Westbrook
The key player for the Washington Wizards is Russell Westbrook. The teams success this season will heavily rely on his ability to play at an All-star level and merge well with Bradly Beal.
Westbrook recorded a triple double in the his first outing with his new team, but had some carless plays and became lacksidasical on defense at times. Here is what the 2017 MVP had to say post-game,
Not good enough. I’m kind of disappointed in myself. There were plays where I could have had a better game.
Washington Wizards Predicted Lineup
Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal, Deni Avdija, Thomas Bryant, Issac Bonga
Orlando Magic Preview
The Orlando Magic won their season opener for the third time in four years. This year it was an impressive late run that pushed them past the 2020 NBA Finalist, the Miami Heat.
The Magic had over five players score 15 points or higher, and believe they have the talent to surprise some people this season. Here is what Gordon had to say on this topic after the game,
I feel like we're really ready to make that next leap.
Key Player - Aaron Gordon
Aaron Gordon is the key player for the Orlando Magic. Gordon scored 20 points in their win againat the Heat on 8 of 11 shots. In order for the Magic to be in playoff contention this year he will need to take his game up another level and continue to score at a proficient rate.
Orlando Magic Predicted Lineup
Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, Markeele Fultz, Aaron Gordon, Dwayne Bacon
Magic vs Wizards Prediction
The Washington Wizards will earn their first win of the season in their home opener against the Orlando Magic. Westbrook and Beal will look to continue from where they left off in the last game but are expected to be much better with the ball in their possession.
Where to watch Magic vs Wizards
Local telecast of the game will be available on NBC Sports Washington from 5 PM Central Time. You can also live stream the same via the NBA League Pass.