NBA Power Rankings: Magic Moving Up After Win vs. Celtics?

The Orlando Magic beat the NBA-best Boston Celtics last week. Did that allow them to rise in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Jan 30, 2023

NBA Power Rankings: Magic Moving Up After Win vs. Celtics? /

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is hoping to bounce back after losing both halves of its most recent back-to-back.

Last week started off strong with wins against the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, but that balanced itself out with a pair of losses against the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.

For its 2-2 efforts, the Magic remains at No. 26 in this week's power rankings from Sports Illustrated.

"The Magic clinched the season series with the Celtics, 3–1, after a 15-point win Monday against the NBA’s top team," SI writes. "Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. led the way in that contest, which was also Jonathan Isaac’s first game in more than two years. Orlando kept it going with a six-point win over Indiana a few nights later and then dropped two in a row over the weekend to Miami on the road and Chicago at home. Up next is a two-game set in Philadelphia."

The Magic faces a four-game road trip that starts tonight with a meeting against the Philadelphia 76ers. The season series with the Sixers wraps up with another game Wednesday before the Magic heads to Minneapolis to play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday and the Queen City to battle with the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday afternoon.

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Published Jan 30, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.