It’s been no secret that the Eastern Conference looks considerably weaker than the West so far. There has been a fair share of injuries to go around that have hindered the success of certain teams. Resting Joel Embiid and iPaul George’s knee injury have stunted the process in Philly, the Raptors have had their own health concerns in their effort for an ‘ethical tank’ and the Magic are hopeful to get Paolo Banchero back before Christmas.

However, the Magic have separated themselves from the rest of the NBA, let alone the Eastern Conference. Orlando is the only team in the league that has a perfect record at home, standing at an impressive 9-0. They’ve held their opponents to just 98 PPG on their homecourt, placing them as a top 3 defence league wide. 

That being said, each of the nine Magic home wins have been against teams that do not have records above .500. The Pacers, Bulls and Nets are the only teams Orlando has beaten at home that currently sit in the play-in tournament bracket. Their next home game on Sunday will be the first against a team that has a winning record, as they welcome the 7 seed Phoenix Suns.

It’s still very early in the season as we’re only about a third of the way through with a lot of basketball left to play. A huge key to success has been the outstanding play of Franz Wagner as he’s been posting career numbers and is an early front-runner for ‘Most Improved Player’.

The Suns rank 8th in offensive rating league wide, with Kevin Durant being their lead scorer. However, he’ll be sidelined as he’s ‘week-to-week’ with a left ankle sprain. He’ll also be joined by center Jusuf Nurkic who’s been out for the last 3 games with a right thigh contusion.

This puts Phoenix’s scoring onus on star guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Even with a stout overall defence, the Magic rank in the middle of the pack at 17th when defending against guards. They allow just over 22 PPG against shooting guards this season. The Suns rank about the same at 15th in the league so expect the majority of scoring to come from Franz and company, while trying to expose the center position as forward Oso Ighodaro will see expanded minutes in Nurkic’s absence.

Be sure to tune in as we’ll be bringing you all the live coverage from the Kia Center this Sunday, tipping off at 6:30pm EST.