Anthony Edwards will give Jalen Suggs, Magic a challenging Saturday matinee

The 33-28 Orlando Magic host the 40-23 Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

Jalen Suggs is coming off one of his clutchest performances of the year, knocking down a pull-up three and dropping the decisive jump pass dime to his rim-rolling big man Wendell Carter Jr. for the game-winning dunk against the Mavericks.

Anthony Edwards is coming off an efficient 22 PTS on 88% eFG% and a 5/8 3PT night in a win over the Raptors.

How will the Magic find a way to contain Anthony Edwards?

3 Keys to a Magic Win

1. Force Ant to pass, double team if necessary

Ant Edwards drives through two Magic defenders, Banchero and Suggs — Feb 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) works between Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) and Jalen Suggs (4) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

With Anthony Black available for Orlando, the Magic will at least have one key wing defender back from injury to throw at Anthony Edwards, as Franz Wagner and Jonathan Isaac are both expected to miss this game.

Orlando will need Black, Suggs, Desmond Bane, Jevon Carter and maybe even the likes of Paolo Banchero and Noah Penda to switch onto the Ant Man to slow him down at different points throughout the game.

The Magic must throw different defenders and looks at Ant to force him to take tough shots without fouling; but, with Minnesota's lack of spacing and play-finishing surrounding Ant, double-teaming is a viable option if Orlando can rotate back fast enough to not give up open looks, especially at the rim.

After reaching new heights as a scorer and shooter last season, Edwards' bucket-getting superpowers have leveled up even higher.

He's truly one of the most unguardable offensive powers in the league as a downhill force free throw magnet walking bucket and nightly highlight machine of dunks, threes, and tough shots.

Orlando deterring Edwards from shooting as often as possible by selling out on the double team, muddying up this game into a rock fight, is right where the Magic want to be.

2. Draw Gobert Out To Perimeter with Shooters and Switches

Wagner fouls Gobert — Jan 9, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) is fouled by Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) during the second quarter at KIA Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

This season, Minnesota holds the cards that rate 7th in Point Differential, 7th in Offense, and 7th in Defense.

If this were gold fish, Orlando's gameplan would be easy – just ask if Minnesota has any 7s. Lucky for the Timberwolves, this isn't a kid's game; this is professional basketball.

As for the Magic, Orlando rates 18th in point differential on the season, rating 21st in Offense and 13th in Defense.

Over the last two weeks, these teams have both rated in the middle of the pack, as Orlando's rated 15th in Point Differential (+0.8) while Minnesota has rated 12th. (+2.0)

The Magic's 14th-rated defense in those 7 games has carried them through close competitive contests, while Minnesota has rated exactly 15th on both sides in that stretch.

Orlando's overall four factor advantages lie in four areas; the Magic's Offense drawing fouls (4th vs. 21st) and playing safe with the ball (8th vs. 13th) along with the Magic's Defense forcing turnovers (12th vs. 15th) and securing defensive rebounds. (6th vs. 16th)

Despite the rim-protection presence of Gobert, the Magic should look to attack the paint to draw fouls, perhaps by drawing Gobert out onto the perimeter on switches or playing a stretch-five/small ball option to stretch Gobert's defensive responsibilities out to the corner, taking away what he impacts the game most as a rim-deterrent.

3. Emphasize the Banchero-Suggs 2-Man Game

Banchero drive — Mar 5, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) controls the ball against the Dallas Mavericks in the third quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Jalen Suggs has become a driving force for this Magic team's success, with their entire running-fast-breaks-off-forced-turnovers team identity seemingly dependent on whether or not Suggs is fully available to play.

Suggs is the face of this team's defense because the team's margin for error doesn't fall on how many threes they made that night like most teams as much as, how many stops did they get and how many times did they score easy points off live ball turnovers off those stops?

Suggs has also taken a leap as a playmaker, the clear point guard for this Magic squad; with Wagner potentially out for the year, Orlando should look to build chemistry with the available roster around Suggs' shot creation.

Banchero wants to play with a point guard who makes his life easier, Bane is best utilized leveraging his 3pt sniper shooting gravity into off-ball screens and countering those with downhill drives off handoffs.

While Suggs can space the floor and play connector off ball in a scaled down role, and while there are some nights where that less-usage offensive role is logical when the defensive ask of him is large; in the bigger scheme of things, Suggs has become a sublime halfcourt orchestrator who should be relied on for consistent shot creation for the team going forward.

Orlando needs to pick a primary ball-handler and run with it; give the ball to Suggs, run 2-man game with Banchero, unleash the Suggs-Paolo Pick-and-Roll/Pick-and-Pop/Handoff possibilities, and have the best 3pt shooter on Earth not named Steph in Desmond Bane waiting on the perimeter to splash catch-and-shoot treys, attack closeouts, and curl around screens off ball.

Suggs' pull-up 3-ball option in P&R makes stretches defenses to the perimeter on the ball, which few other players on this team do.

Surrounding Suggs' natural point guard senses with the short-roll playmaking and strong play-finishing of Banchero along with knockdown floor-stretching shooters like Bane, Anthony Black, Wendell Carter Jr., Tristan da Silva should result in the floor-spacing, 3pt volume, and scoring efficiency Orlando is looking to find.

See if running more offense through Suggs helps the team hunt more open threes on and off the ball for their best shooters.