Magic at Bulls
THE STORY: Orlando has always had trouble keeping pace with the Eastern Conference’s elite. Now, it seems the Magic have trouble with the conference basement dwellers as well after giving up a 20-point lead in a loss to Charlotte. Orlando takes a major step up in competition when it visits first-place Chicago, which has beaten the Magic in their last four meetings. The Bulls are 15-2 at home and won the first meeting with Orlando 97-83 on the road.
TV: TNT, 8 p.m. ET
ABOUT THE MAGIC (25-15): While Dwight Howard is one of the greatest physical specimens in NBA history, the Magic are short on pure athletes. Orlando has plenty of solid players in Ryan Anderson, Hedo Turkoglu and J.J. Redick, but runs into trouble when it faces athletic dynamos like reigning MVP Derrick Rose. Guards Jameer Nelson and Chris Duhon aren’t quick or strong enough to handle Rose, who has averaged 26.5 points in the Bulls’ four-game winning streak over the Magic.
ABOUT THE BULLS (33-8): Rose’s step-back jumper at the buzzer extended Chicago’s winning streak to eight games with a 106-104 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday. That red-hot run is the longest in the NBA. Rose could be a bit gassed after those efforts, putting up 30 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. He played over 39 minutes versus the Bucks, with the Bulls’ backcourt down to Ronnie Brewer and John Lucas in relief due to injuries.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Bulls guard Richard Hamilton sat out Wednesday’s game with a shoulder injury, as did C.J. Watson, who is day-to-day with a sprained ankle.
2. Quentin Richardson returned to Orlando’s rotation Tuesday after missing four games with an Achilles injury. He scored all eight of his points in the first half.
3. Chicago has won six of the last 10 meetings with Orlando, but the all-time series is knotted at 41-41.