All signs point to this ending very poorly. Here’s a list of players who pulled down 40 or more boards in a game. If I thought this game would be close, forcing Dwight Howard to play the whole game, I’d say this list might have a new member.
But the last time these two teams met, Orlando won by 20 and Howard only played 25 minutes. I’d say that sounds about right.
What the Four Factors (+Pace) say:
| Team | Pace | eFG% | TO% | OR% | FTA/FGA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (Off.) | 96.0 (10) | 47.4 (28) | 13.4 (14) | 27.2 (13) | 28.5 (23) |
| Orlando (Def.) | 94.2 (20) | 47.5 (22) | 12.4 (26) | 22.5 (1) | 27.4 (7) |
| Team | Pace | eFG% | TO% | OR% | FTA/FGA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (Def.) | 96.0 (10) | 48.6 (8) | 12.5 (24) | 26.0 (12) | 27.5 (8) |
| Orlando (Off.) | 94.2 (20) | 52.6 (3) | 13.6 (16) | 24.2 (26) | 34.2 (4) |
SOURCE: Hoopdata
What it all means:
I don’t know the exact effect that not having Joakim Noah has had on these numbers, but it hasn’t been good. And add the loss of Luol Deng, the team’s second-most productive rebounder, and the Bulls may be in a lot of trouble. It sounds like Taj Gibson is going to play, but I don’t know how that changes the dominance the Magic have had on the boards, especially the defensive glass.
Bulls injury reportreports say that he will play.
Magic injury report: None
From the Magic point of view: Orlando Pinstriped Post, Orlando Magic Daily, Howard the Dunk
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