On January 1, 2024, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Suns hosted the Magic.
The Suns have picked up after a two-game winning streak recently, rising to 8th place in the West with 16 wins and 15 losses, averaging 115.5 points per game, ranking 14th in the league, and conceding 114.6 points per game, ranking 16th in the league, with a home record of 8-9.
The Suns have recently ushered in Durant, Booker, and Beal, and the state has improved after the combination, and Durant, who averages 29.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, has recently changed his role, and the task of tandem teammates has obviously increased. Booker is averaging 27.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game and is the main initiator of the Suns' backcourt.
Beal has only scored six points in his last two games, and is still in the stage of finding a feel for the game. Gordon, a veteran, is the Suns' No. 3 scorer, averaging 14 points per game and shooting 41.3 percent from three-point range. Allen is averaging 13.2 points per game and Nurkic is averaging 12.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Eubanks, Okogie, and Metu, who average about 6 points per game in the rotation lineup, are more important role players.
The Magic, who were once ranked second in the East, have recently rebounded in form, with 5 wins and 5 losses in the last 10 games, 19 wins and 12 losses, ranking 4th in the East, averaging 113 points per game, ranking 22nd in the league, and conceding 110.6 points per game, which is the 5th team in the league with the fewest points conceded, with a 7-8 record on the road.
The Magic is a defense-oriented team, and the offensive end mainly relies on Banchero, who averages 21.5 points per game, and Wagner Jr., who averages 21 points per game, and the two are also the top three players in the team in rebounds and assists, and the offensive end almost accounts for most of the Magic's role.
Averaging 13 points per game, Suggs is the Magic's most passionate defensive player, and his contribution to the team is far more than the stats tell.
Cole Anthony, who averages 14.4 points and 3.6 assists per game, is the Magic's No. 3 scorer and the offensive core of the Magic's rotation lineup, while Big Wagner is the Magic's top interior attacker in the rotation, averaging 11.4 points per game.
Other players can also contribute about 7 points from Gary Harris, Bitadze and Isaac.
The Magic is a team that is fierce defensively and good at taking advantage of opponents' mistakes to counterattack, ranking second in the league in defensive efficiency, ranking fourth in the league in steals per game, and ranking second in the league in scoring with turnovers. It is worth mentioning that the Suns are the 6th team in the league with the most turnovers per game.
However, compared to the tough defense, the Magic's offensive performance is a bit too serious, ranking 14th in the league in shooting percentage, and ranking first in the league in three-point shooting and shooting percentage.
The star-studded Suns are a team that doesn't have a lot of defensive will, with the league's highest number of blocks and only 19th in defensive efficiency. Due to the delay in the integration of the Big Three before, the Suns' offensive statistics are not eye-catching enough, ranking 12th in the league in shooting percentage, 9th in the league in three-point shooting percentage, and 12th in the league in offensive efficiency.
The battle between the Sun and the Magic is a battle of offense and defense with distinctive characteristics, and will the Suns break through the Magic's impregnable defense? Will the Suns' problem of making mistakes at every turn be caught by the Magic? Who will have the last laugh in this contest between inhibition and counter-inhibition? I am afraid that it will be difficult to reach a conclusion until the end.