The Brooklyn Nets are enjoying a season-long three-game winning streak and look to tack on another victory when they visit the Orlando Magic on Thursday. The Nets possess the worst record in the NBA but are finishing the season well and recorded a 121-111 home win over the Magic on Saturday.
Brooklyn’s offense was humming on Tuesday, when it scored at least 30 in every quarter and had 81 in the first half during a 141-118 trouncing of the Philadelphia 76ers. The scoring output was the squad’s second-highest of the season and raised its season average to 106.2, 12th best in the NBA. Orlando is fading at the finish with five straight losses and six in seven games and suffered a 122-102 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The Magic allowed an average of 121 points during the five consecutive setbacks, and soft perimeter defensive helped set up Cleveland for 18 3-point baskets.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE NETS (19-59): Center Brook Lopez scored 30 points in Saturday’s win over Orlando and followed that up with 29 points against Atlanta before being needed for only 23 minutes (16 points) in the rout of the 76ers. Brooklyn racked up a season-best 72 points in the paint against the Magic and received a superb outing from forward Trevor Booker, who scored a season-high 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting. The Nets are 6-3 over the past nine games and a leading influence for the improvement has been the steadiness of point guard Jeremy Lin, now fully recovered from a hamstring injury.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (27-51): Aaron Gordon moved to power forward when Serge Ibaka was traded to the Toronto Raptors and the 21-year-old is beginning to display his potential. Gordon is averaging 19 points and 8.6 rebounds over the past five games and had back-to-back double-doubles last weekend - 32 points and matching his career high of 16 rebounds against Boston on Friday and 22 points and 15 boards against the Nets on Saturday. Gordon scored in double digits in 17 of the past 19 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The recent victory by the Nets halted the Magic’s five-game winning streak in the series.
2. Brooklyn backup SG Sean Kilpatrick (hamstring) is questionable for the contest.
3. Orlando F Jeff Green (back) is expected to miss his eighth straight game.
PREDICTION: Magic 112, Nets 102