Magic Record Projection Revealed as Second Half Approaches

The Orlando Magic have just 29 games left in their season, and there is reason to believe they could start to catch fire.

Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes believes the team will finish 17-12 in their second half of the season, finishing with a record of 45-37.

"There are several teams that rate as more disappointing than the Orlando Magic, but it's not great that they're in the conversation," Hughes wrote. "Far from making the superstar leap many expected, Paolo Banchero is regressing. He's on pace to post his lowest scoring average and effective field-goal percentage since his rookie year and is now facing questions about his fitness as the key piece of a respectable NBA offense.

"Franz Wagner has missed close to half the season, Jalen Suggs will struggle to reach 60 games and Desmond Bane's relative durability has come with a mere 35.7 percent hit rate on threes. Overall, the Magic are again on track to post an offensive rating in the bottom 10 (that'll make it 10 straight years), and their defense, once a calling card, is now in the middle of the pack.

"We're pricing in some desperation-fueled improvement in our prediction, as Orlando's point differential is only that of a 39-win team."

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs dunks during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Magic Predicted For Furious Finish

The Magic are projected to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference in this projection, which would land them a first-round series against Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns in the New York Knicks.

The Magic and Knicks split their four-game season series this season, which included the NBA Cup Semi-Final in Las Vegas on Dec. 13. If the two teams were to meet in the playoffs, there would certainly be fireworks on both sides.

The Magic still have some work to do to get out of the Play-In Tournament projection and into the top six as they sit 1.5 games back of the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 6 seed. The Magic's opponents for the second half of the season have a .497 winning percentage, while the Sixers are at .492.

Ultimately, the Magic are getting healthier with Franz Wagner back, and if they can stay on the court, they should be better than the first half of their season. The first game back from the break will pit them against the NBA-worst Sacramento Kings. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. each on Thursday inside the Golden 1 Center. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.

Magic Predicted For Furious Finish

More Orlando Magic Stories