ORLANDO vs PORTLAND
When: 2/9/2021 10:00 PM
Where: Portland

TV: 10:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: PORTLAND , ORLANDO

Oddsmakers currently have the PORTLAND listed as 5.5 point favorites versus the ORLANDO, while the game’s total is sitting at 225.5.

The Trail Blazers have gone 5-5 at home. Portland is second in the Western Conference scoring 114.9 points while shooting 44.1% from the field.

The Magic are 4-7 on the road. Orlando allows 112.2 points to opponents and has been outscored by 7.2 points per game.

The Trail Blazers and Magic meet Tuesday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Lillard is averaging 29.1 points and 7.3 assists for the Trail Blazers. Enes Kanter is averaging 13.3 rebounds and 13.1 points per game over the last 10 games for Portland.

Nikola Vucevic has shot 48.2% and is averaging 23.1 points for the Magic. James Ennis III is shooting 52.8% and averaging 7.4 points over the last 10 games for Orlando.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Trail Blazers: 5-5, averaging 113.6 points, 44.5 rebounds, 18 assists, 7.2 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.5 points on 49.5% shooting.

Magic: 3-7, averaging 105.8 points, 46.9 rebounds, 24.8 assists, 6.2 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 43.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.3 points on 47.4% shooting.

INJURIES:

Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic: out (wrist), Zach Collins: out (ankle), Nassir Little: day to day (knee), CJ McCollum: out (left foot).

Magic: Markelle Fultz: out for season (knee), Evan Fournier: day to day (back), Michael Carter-Williams: day to day (foot), Al-Farouq Aminu: out (knee), Jonathan Isaac: out for season (knee), Aaron Gordon: out (ankle).

BOTTOM LINE: Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers host the Orlando Magic. Lillard ranks fifth in the NBA scoring 29.1 points per game.

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CHICAGO vs ORLANDO
When: 2/6/2021 7:05 PM
Where:

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: 2.5
PREDICTION: ORLANDO , CHICAGO

Oddsmakers currently have the ORLANDO listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the CHICAGO, while the game’s total is sitting at 224.

Chicago Bulls (8-13, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (9-14, 11th in the Eastern Conference)

Orlando hosts the Chicago Bulls after Nikola Vucevic scored 43 points in the Magic’s 123-119 win over the Bulls.

The Magic have gone 7-9 against Eastern Conference teams. Orlando is third in the league with 11.5 offensive rebounds per game led by Khem Birch averaging 3.0 offensive boards.

The Bulls are 4-6 in Eastern Conference play. Chicago is 2-7 against opponents with a winning record.

The teams square off for the second game in a row.

TOP PERFORMERS: Vucevic is scoring 23.4 points per game and averaging 11.5 rebounds for the Magic. Evan Fournier is averaging 17.5 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 37.3% over the last 10 games for Orlando.

Zach LaVine leads the Bulls scoring 26.5 points and grabbing 5.2 rebounds. Thaddeus Young is averaging 6.2 rebounds and 11.4 points per game over the last 10 games for Chicago.

LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 3-7, averaging 105 points, 47.3 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 6.1 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.6 points on 45.8% shooting.

Bulls: 4-6, averaging 113.7 points, 44 rebounds, 27.4 assists, eight steals and four blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.3 points on 48.2% shooting.

INJURIES: Magic: Markelle Fultz: out for season (knee), Michael Carter-Williams: out (foot), Al-Farouq Aminu: out (knee), Jonathan Isaac: out for season (knee), Aaron Gordon: out (ankle).

Bulls: Wendell Carter Jr.: out (quad), Otto Porter Jr.: out (back).

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TORONTO vs ORLANDO
When: 2/2/2021 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: ORLANDO , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have the ORLANDO listed as 5.5 point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 215.5.

The Orlando Magic know they will need to get off to a better start Tuesday night if they are going to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors.

The Magic trailed 27-15 after shooting 27.8 percent from the field in the first quarter on the way to a 115-102 loss to the Raptors Sunday night at Tampa.

“Getting off to a bad start made it more difficult,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “And the turnovers (four in the first quarter and 11 for the game) hurt us. They’re good at it. They take turnovers and they turn them into points.”

To make matters worse for the Magic, Aaron Gordon left the game in the third quarter with a left ankle injury. He was going to be evaluated to determine the severity of the injury. Gordon scored 14 points.

The Magic have lost three in a row and finished January with a 4-12 record. They are 2-11 since the Jan. 6 season-ending injury to Markelle Fultz (torn ACL, left knee).

Toronto has defeated Orlando nine consecutive games dating to the 2019 playoffs.

Magic guard Evan Fournier, who scored 11 points Sunday, said that attitude has been a problem.

“Of course, we need to do better defensively, we’ve got to basically be better offensively, we’ve got to make shots, I’ve got to make shots,” he said. “But I really think it starts with the way we approach everything. To me, that’s the one thing and we have to change that.”

Cole Anthony led Orlando with 16 points against the Raptors.

“They’re a tough-minded defensive team,” Anthony said. “They help a lot. They’re all active. They’re constantly moving, so it’s definitely difficult to get into the paint and get to the spot we’re comfortable with, but it’s not impossible. I think we can still do a better job so we’ve just got to keep working.”

Unlike the Magic, the Raptors started fast and never looked back Sunday to end a three-game losing streak.

“We just came out ready to go,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “You could see it right from the defensive stand at the start, really good execution offensively, and just kind of played pretty solidly throughout. There was really no dips in effort or energy or any of that kind of stuff, just a solid workmanlike performance.”

The Raptors had 30 points and 10 rebounds from Pascal Siakam. Kyle Lowry had 12 points and a season-best 15 assists and Aron Baynes had eight points and a season-best 16 rebounds.

Siakam, after a slow start, is playing with enthusiasm.

“Over the past weeks, I haven’t been feeling well, little injuries here and there,” Siakam said. “For me, that’s the main thing. If I feel good, I have the ability to go out there and bring the energy and live with the results.”

Siakam shot 12-for-23 from the field Sunday, including only two 3-point attempts (both misses).

“I think (3-pointers) will probably work their way back in, but I think it’s a conscious effort on his part, our part, to get him going to the basket and get him a little bit more composed at the basket, too,” Nurse said.

The Raptors were without Norman Powell (right quadriceps contusion) and OG Anunoby (left calf strain) on Sunday. Powell could return Tuesday, but Anunoby could need another week.

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ORLANDO vs TORONTO
When: 1/31/2021 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: -5.5
PREDICTION: TORONTO , ORLANDO

Oddsmakers currently have the TORONTO listed as -5.5 point favorites versus the ORLANDO, while the game’s total is sitting at 215.5.

It will be a case of two teams desperately in need of a win when the Orlando Magic visit the Toronto Raptors at Tampa on Sunday.

The Magic have lost two in a row and 10 of their past 12 games, while the Raptors have lost three straight and four of their past six.

“It’s very frustrating when you try and try and not a lot of good comes out of it,” Magic center Nikola Vucevic said after scoring 10 points in a 116-90 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. “We’re just not very good right now.”

The Raptors, who have won the past five meetings between the teams, lost 126-124 to the Sacramento Kings at home Friday despite a strong fourth-quarter rally.

“The difference between a winning team and a losing team is not as big a gap as you would think,” said Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, who scored 26 points. “Not one time this year have we been in a game where it feels unfathomable that we could win. It’s just the little things we have to do at a higher level. That’s what makes a good team.”

The Raptors, who trailed by 18 points late in the third quarter Friday, got to within one with 1:08 remaining on a basket by Yuta Watanabe.

Sacramento then went up by five and VanVleet’s 3-pointer ended the game. Pascal Siakam, who matched his season best with 32 points, missed an important free throw with 37.9 seconds left.

But it was at the other end of the court that led to the loss.

“We were not connected on defense,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

“I think we’ve got to get better at communicating,” said Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who scored 17 points before being ejected on a technical foul with four seconds left. “We switch defenses a lot, coach throws things at us on the fly, and our communication just isn’t at the level that it should be. … sometimes we don’t talk enough, we’re not loud enough.’

“I think they were taking it right to the front of the rim on us,” Nurse added. “We weren’t doing a good job of controlling the ball. There wasn’t the early help. Late help was a little late as well.”

The Raptors were without Norman Powell (right quadriceps contusion) and OG Anunoby (left calf strain) on Friday.

Both players did individual workouts on Saturday, but the team ruled Anunoby out later in the day and listed Powell as doubtful.

The Magic won their first four games of the season and have struggled since.

“We’re not making progress, and we have to be able to do that,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “We’ve got to hang in there. The easy thing to do would be to give in. I don’t think we’ll do that. The only thing you can do in this league when things aren’t going your way is work and compete. That’s it. Those are the two magic words. That’s what we have to be locked in on.”

Terrence Ross led the Magic with 24 points on Friday.

“Sometimes you just need to win a game, and that’s where we’re at right now,” Clifford said. “We need to find a way to regroup (Sunday), get ourselves in a better place mentally. We need to find a way not to play well, we need to find a way to win.”

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CHARLOTTE vs ORLANDO
When: 1/24/2021 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: -1
PREDICTION: ORLANDO , CHARLOTTE

Oddsmakers currently have the ORLANDO listed as -1 point favorites versus the CHARLOTTE, while the game’s total is sitting at 214.

The Charlotte Hornets are in need of rediscovering good vibes. They share that distinction with the Orlando Magic.

The teams will try to reverse the wrong-way trends when they meet Sunday night in Orlando, Fla.

“We’re going to have to be a really good defensive team,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said of what it might take for things to turn around.

The Magic have lost seven of their past eight games, including Friday night’s 120-118 overtime decision at Indiana. That marked the conclusion of a 1-4 road swing.

“That was our game to win,” Orlando swingman Aaron Gordon said. “We had it. It felt like we gave it away.”

The Hornets enter this outing having played just once in more than a week’s span and will try to snap a season-worst four-game losing streak.

This is the first of two games between the teams on consecutive nights on the same court. For the Magic, it’s the launch of a four-game homestand.

The Hornets and Magic have been hampered by turnovers, something both squads say need to be addressed in advance of Sunday’s game. Clifford said that already has been the primary point of emphasis offensively.

Improving the overall performance is something that needs to take place for the Magic.

“It’s never one play. It’s never one shot,” Clifford said. “That’s every game we play.”

Evan Fournier scored 26 points for Orlando in its most recent game, marking the first time he topped the team in scoring since the season opener. This might be more evidence that he’s rounding into form after missing nine games with back ailments.

“He’s a terrific competitor and he badly wants to win,” Clifford said of Fournier’s efforts.

Still, the setback came after rookie Cole Anthony’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave the Magic a win in their previous game at Minnesota.

“We should have won that (game vs. Indiana),” Fournier said. “It’s really hard to swallow.”

In Friday night’s 123-110 home loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Hornets relied on Gordon Hayward’s big third quarter on his way to 34 points to keep them within striking distance. There needs to be other contributors.

“There’s other bodies out there that have to produce,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “Other guys have to step up and play better.”

Devonte’ Graham had 22 of his season-high 24 points in the first half for the Hornets, who were hindered by 20 turnovers through three quarters.

Charlotte center Cody Zeller was back in action for the first time after suffering a broken hand in the season opener. He logged 11 minutes in his return, notching five points.

Now, it will be important for the Hornets to develop rhythm with Zeller among the post players.

“To have that as your first game back, I thought he was solid,” Borrego said. “Moving forward, I have to figure out rotations and what’s best for our ball club.”

The two games in Orlando will be the only meetings between the teams this season.

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ORLANDO vs NEW YORK
When: 1/18/2021 12:00 PM
Where:

TV: 12:00 PM
LINE: 1
PREDICTION: NEW YORK , ORLANDO

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW YORK listed as 1 point favorites versus the ORLANDO, while the game’s total is sitting at 208.

The New York Knicks enjoyed a resounding victory that felt like it was five years in the making on Sunday when they routed the Boston Celtics.

Or was it just five losses in the making?

Fewer than 24 hours after the win over the Celtics, the Knicks look to build a winning streak on Monday when they host the Orlando Magic in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee.

The visiting Knicks ended a five-game losing streak Sunday by snapping the Celtics’ five-game winning streak with a 105-75 victory. The Magic sustained their fifth straight loss Saturday by dropping a 122-115 decision to the host Brooklyn Nets.

The Knicks led by as many as 37 points in the fourth quarter Sunday on their way to the franchise’s first 30-point win since a 128-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on March 9, 2016. It was also the first 30-point win for New York over Boston since a 102-70 victory on Nov. 4, 1997.

The win was cathartic for the Knicks and first-year head coach Tom Thibodeau, who celebrated his 63rd birthday on Sunday. The gift was seeing New York yield some dividends from the preparation it put in and experiences gleaned during the five-game losing streak.

After losing three straight games by double-digit margins, the Knicks mounted a late comeback in a 116-109 loss to the Nets last Wednesday. They also had a chance to take the lead in the final minute of a 106-103 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

“I told our players this: The way they’re practicing — the attitude, the approach, and how they’re practicing — has been positive,” Thibodeau said Sunday afternoon. “(On Friday) I thought we were terrific in the shoot-around and we played well enough to win on the road. We didn’t close out the game we would’ve liked. Then (Saturday) in practice, I thought was terrific. As long as we’re doing the right things, I know we’ll improve and we’ll keep getting better.”

The Magic hope a similar breakthrough is imminent. Orlando’s losing streak began Jan. 8, two days after point guard Markelle Fultz sustained a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee during a 105-94 victory over the Cavaliers.

The Magic, who were 6-2 with Fultz in the lineup, fell by double figures in each of the next four games and lost three of those by at least 22 points. But Orlando looked re-energized in a challenging situation against the new-look Nets on Saturday when James Harden made his Brooklyn debut with a triple-double.

“Let’s be honest — and I talked about this candidly with the group today — the Markelle injury has taken a lot out of us,” Magic head coach Steve Clifford said Saturday night. “We have other guys down too, but tonight was the first time since the Cleveland game where I think that we started to find a belief in a way that we could play, so we have a chance to take a step forward.”

The Magic also played Saturday without Evan Fournier (back spasms), Michael Carter-Williams (foot), Chuma Okeke (knee), and Mo Bamba (coronavirus protocols).

The Knicks are 19-13 all-time at home on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. New York was on the road for the holiday last season when it posted a 106-86 win over the Cavaliers for just the second time since 1987.

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OKLAHOMA CITY vs ORLANDO
When: 1/2/2021 7:05 PM
Where:

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: ORLANDO , OKLAHOMA CITY

Oddsmakers currently have the ORLANDO listed as point favorites versus the OKLAHOMA CITY, while the game’s total is sitting at .

After starting 4-0 for the first time in franchise history, the Orlando Magic got a bit of a reality check in Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia.

The Magic are hoping to get back on track Saturday when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“I like our team,” Orlando coach Steve Clifford said. “I like who we can become. We’re not putting enough into guarding the ball and helping. We’re not.

“Things that we’ve been very good at for two years we’re not going, and that’s the hard things.”

The Magic shot a season-low — by a wide margin — 34.7 percent from the floor and 25 percent from behind the 3-point line in the 116-92 loss while struggling defensively, especially in guarding the 3-point line.

Orlando was also hit with the injury bug in that loss, with Evan Fournier and Chuma Okeke leaving the game and Terrence Ross sitting out after suffering a hamstring injury in Tuesday’s win in Oklahoma City.

Fournier left Thursday’s game with back spasms.

Ross is listed as probable for Saturday’s game while Fournier is questionable. Okeke is expected to miss several weeks with a left knee bone bruise.

Dwayne Bacon said injuries weren’t an excuse and that the Magic, hoping to make a leap after back-to-back first-round playoff exits, needed to be able to sustain their drive.

“We came out with no focus, no intensity, no will to want to win to begin the season 5-0,” Bacon said. “I’m not going to sit here and say you’re going to have nights like that just to say it, but you are. But that’s when you’ve just got to push through.

“We know it’s a weird year. We know we’re going to play every other night but at the end of the day, we’ve got to be able to play through whatever and play whenever.”

Orlando isn’t the only team looking for a bounce back.

The Thunder have lost three consecutive games, but in the first of those two losses — including a 118-107 loss to Orlando earlier in the week — Oklahoma City was competitive until the end.

That wasn’t the case Thursday in a 33-point blowout loss to New Orleans where the Thunder scored just 80 points for the first time since a post-season loss in August to the Houston Rockets.

After being a complementary piece during his first two NBA, the first with the Los Angeles Clippers and last year with the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is adjusting to being the No. 1 option.

Gilgeous-Alexander had his toughest game of the season Thursday, going just 3 of 10 from the field.

George Hill, one of the few veterans on the Thunder, said the season would be a process, not only for Gilgeous-Alexander but the rest of the roster.

“We’re a super, super young team and a lot of them don’t have any experience on the court,” Hill said. “We’re just out here rolling the ball, rolling the dice, trying to figure it all out together. But their heart and effort is there, and that’s all you can ask from a young player.”

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PHILADELPHIA vs ORLANDO
When: 12/31/2020 6:35 PM
Where:

TV: 6:35 PM
LINE: 2.5
PREDICTION: ORLANDO , PHILADELPHIA

Oddsmakers currently have the ORLANDO listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the PHILADELPHIA, while the game’s total is sitting at 217.

The Orlando Magic will look to continue their historic start when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.

The Magic have won their first four games for the first time in franchise history and entered Wednesday’s play as one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the league, with the Atlanta Hawks (3-0).

Orlando defeated the host Oklahoma City Thunder 118-107 on Tuesday to improve to 4-0.

The goal now is to keep the amazing streak going.

“It’s very exciting to be 4-0,” said Orlando guard Markelle Fultz, a former No. 1 overall pick by the Sixers. “Our goal is to come out every night and win, so to be able to have four wins and especially going on a road trip and go 3-0 is a boost for us. We’ve got to continue improving and growing.”

Ever-improving Nikola Vucevic, another former Sixer, led the way against OKC with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Dwayne Bacon added 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field.

Statistics aside, head coach Steve Clifford remains more focused on day-to-day improvement.

“It’s about either losing or winning, being able to learn from the game and get better,” Clifford said. “And that’s what I hope that we’re able to do. Three games in a row on the road is difficult in this league and guys have done a good job.”

With a 12-for-18 effort against the Thunder, Vucevic increased his career total to 4,084 made field goals with the Magic, breaking Nick Anderson’s record of 4,075.

“It was very humbling for me,” Vucevic said. “All of the great players that have played for the Magic, for me to be the all-time leader in field goals made, especially when you know all of the great scorers that played here, it’s a huge honor and a big motivation for me to keep working.”

The 76ers, meanwhile, will be looking for their second straight victory.

Philadelphia improved to 3-1 with a 100-93 win over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. Joel Embiid overcame a brief injury scare to his right leg in the third quarter to finish with 29 points and 16 rebounds.

Embiid has reached at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in the three games he has played to become the first Philadelphia player to accomplish the feat since Charles Barkley in 1986-87.

“He was terrific, dominant,” Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said of Embiid. “It’s funny … obviously, he had 29 points. I thought he made the three key plays down the stretch by passes.”

Embiid limped to the locker room for a 4:01 stretch of the third quarter, but Rivers wasn’t fazed too much.

“Every time I asked, I got bad news,” Rivers said. “You can tell, I didn’t even go down there. I rarely go down there, because every time I go down there to ask ‘how are you’ the news is bad. So I didn’t want any bad news, let me put it that way.”

The Sixers were drilled by 24 points in their first road game at Cleveland on Sunday. They were one of the worst road teams last season, going 10-24.

Next stop, Orlando.

If the Sixers are going to win, they’ll likely need another stellar effort from Tobias Harris, who had 26 points and 11 rebounds against the Raptors.

“That leadership and that toughness he showed was terrific,” Rivers said of Harris.

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ORLANDO vs OKLAHOMA CITY
When: 12/29/2020 8:05 PM
Where:

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: 5
PREDICTION: OKLAHOMA CITY , ORLANDO

Oddsmakers currently have the OKLAHOMA CITY listed as 5 point favorites versus the ORLANDO, while the game’s total is sitting at 219.5.

The Orlando Magic are saving the best for last during their 3-0 start to the season.

Going into their Tuesday road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Magic are averaging 38.3 points in the fourth quarter.

Markelle Fultz has been a big reason for Orlando’s late-game success.

The guard scored a combined 16 points in the last two fourth quarters, both road wins at Washington.

He scored more than 20 points in each of those games after reaching the 20-point mark just six times in his first 105 career games.

“He makes big plays late in the game,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “He wants the ball and he plays with a lot of courage late in the game.”

While Fultz has played a big part late, the Magic’s success goes far beyond him.

Orlando features one of the most balanced offenses in the league, with four players averaging at least 17.3 points per game and none averaging more than 23.3.

In the Magic’s most recent game, a 120-113 triumph over the Wizards on Sunday, Orlando outscored Washington 43-19 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.

The Magic have outscored their opponents by 14.3 points per game in the fourth quarter, twice coming back from a deficit to start the quarter and once extending what was a one-point lead going into the fourth into a double-digit win.

The Magic have won their first three games for the first time since 2009 and just the fourth time in the 32-year history of the franchise. The Magic have never started a season 4-0. They will try to break through that barrier at a place where they’ve had little success in recent years.

Orlando is just 2-10 against the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder are coming off a 110-109 home loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Oklahoma City led by 12 points in the second quarter and by nine in the fourth quarter before a Donovan Mitchell-led comeback guided the Jazz to the win.

Mitchell hit the go-ahead hoop with seven seconds to play.

Oklahoma City, which overhauled its roster in the offseason to get younger — and cheaper — as part of a rebuild, has at least been competitive early, starting the season with a pair of games that have come down to the wire.

Both times, first-year coach Mark Daigneault put the ball in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands with a chance to win it on the final possession.

Gilgeous-Alexander hit the game-winner on Saturday in Charlotte in the season opener but missed a chance for an encore Monday when his layup attempt was unsuccessful just before the buzzer.

Daigneault believes playing tight games can only benefit his young team.

“Really valuable,” the coach said. “This is the reality of a competitive league (and) we competed all the way through.”

Oklahoma City will be without guard Ty Jerome on Tuesday for the third consecutive game. Jerome, who is sidelined due to an ankle injury, will be back in the “not-too-distant future,” Daigneault said Monday.

The Magic are expected to be without James Ennis (hamstring) and Al-Farouq Aminu (knee) again. Neither has played this season.

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ORLANDO vs WASHINGTON
When: 12/27/2020 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: -1.5
PREDICTION: WASHINGTON , ORLANDO

Oddsmakers currently have the WASHINGTON listed as -1.5 point favorites versus the ORLANDO, while the game’s total is sitting at 228.

Beal answered a 31-point performance in the season-opening loss to Philadelphia by scoring 39 points in Washington’s 130-120 loss to Orlando on Saturday.

The Wizards, however, haven’t helped themselves from the free-throw line. They made 16 of 23 shots from the charity stripe in a 113-107 setback to the 76ers and 15 of 28 in the loss to the Magic.

“We just gotta take those adverse times and learn how to deal with them and move on. … We have a willing team who wants to learn, who wants to get better,” Beal said, per The Athletic.

Russell Westbrook collected 15 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists to join Magic Johnson (twice), Jerry Lucas and Oscar Robertson as the lone players in NBA history to record a triple-double in each of his team’s first two games of the season.

While that’s some good company, Westbrook also shot 6-of-19 from the field and misfired on all four of his 3-point attempts on Saturday.

“This one’s on me, (expletive) around, missing shots,” Westbrook said.

Coach Scott Brooks said prior to Saturday’s game that he wasn’t sure if Westbrook would suit up in the second half of back-to-back contests this season.

Davis Bertans was limited to 20 minutes on Saturday, scoring just nine points on 3 of 11 shooting from the floor — including 2 of 10 from 3-point range.

While Washington is off to a sluggish start, Orlando has won its first two games of the season for the first time since 2012-13.

Magic coach Steve Clifford was quick to dismiss the notion that his team would get high on itself for the fast start. Instead, Clifford focused on playing on back-to-back nights against the same opponent.

“It’s such a different dynamic for the NBA. There are years that you might play the same team two nights in a row, but it might be us here and then tomorrow night we both go to Orlando and play,” Clifford said.

“This is totally different. It’s nice that we don’t have to travel. But it’s always nice when you play those to win both of them, so this will be a really good challenge for our team.”

Terrence Ross scored 25 points off the bench to pace Orlando on Saturday. Nikola Vucevic collected 22 points and 17 rebounds, and Markelle Fultz added 21 points in the win.

Fultz admitted that the quick pace the Magic are using this season is right up his alley.

“I love it. That’s what (the coaches have) been trying to get us to do,” Fultz said in a postgame interview with Fox Sports. “It started in training camp. I think it’s going to be good for everybody. When we are able to get out and run, you get options ahead of the ball. It’s hard to guard.”

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