Pregame: Magic at Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are finally back in Rip City after a six-game road trip. Can they take advantage against a depleted Orlando Magic squad at Moda Center?

Opponent: Orlando Magic (9-15 overall, 3-7 in last 10 games)
Offensive Rating: 105.3 (29th)
Defensive Rating: 112.7 (25th)
Net Rating: -7.4 (29th)

Where: Moda Center
Time: 7:00 p.m. (PST)
Broadcast: NBC Sports Northwest/FOX Sports Florida

Point Spread: Portland -6
Moneyline: Portland -240, Orlando +198
Over/Under: 220

Injuries

• Orlando: Al-Farouq Aminu (questionable), Michael Carter-Williams (out), Evan Fournier (out), Markelle Fultz (out), Jonathan Isaac (out), Aaron Gordon (out), 
• Portland: Zach Collins (out), Nassir Little (out), C.J. McCollum (out), Jusuf Nurkic (out)

Primer: Halcyon days of Orlando's surprising start to 2020-21 seem far longer ago than a month. The Magic have lost 12 of 15 since opening the season 6-3, and their last five defeats have come by a combined 94 points. 

Season-ending injuries to core building blocks Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz are the least of coach Clifford's worries now. Aaron Gordon went down last week with an ankle injury that will sideline him for at least a month, and the chronic back pain that caused Evan Fournier to miss nine games earlier this season reared its ugly head again over the weekend, when he was a late scratch in Orlando's loss to the Chicago Bulls.

The Magic have long lacked the individual offensive dynamism befitting even an above-average offense, and Fultz's absence–especially when Fournier is too sore to play–makes that problem even more glaring. If there's a bright spot for Orlando offensively it's the still-evolving game of Nikola Vucevic, who's launching 6.2 triples per game and connecting at a 42.3 percent clip – crucial for a Magic team that continues to lag behind the league in emphasizing the long ball.

Vucevic's quick trigger from three will no doubt prove a challenge for Enes Kanter, perhaps coaxing Portland to play the 2-3 zone defense it deployed to varying levels of success on the road. Terry Stotts will happily surrender semi-contested jumpers to the likes of Dwayne Bacon, James Ennis and even Cole Anthony and Terrence Ross if it means making life a bit more difficult for Vucevic. Ross, a very versatile if consistently streaky shooter, is hitting just 33.1 percent from beyond the arc this season.

The bigger problem is what injuries to Isaac and Gordon have done to Clifford's vaunted defense. With Orlando lacking the game-changing length, athleticism and anticipation on defense their normal starting forwards provide, expect the Blazers to bounce back offensively on Tuesday after clanking away their comeback hopes versus the New York Knicks. Don't discount the defensive impact of Fultz's injury, either; he was far and away Clifford's best option to try and slow down Damian Lillard.

Bottom Line: Injuries have left the Magic reeling, and Portland has a cleaner bill of health now than it did on the road despite the ongoing absences of C.J. McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins. As long as Stotts pushes the right buttons to contain Vucevic, the Blazers should simply have too much offensive firepower to begin their homestand with a disappointing loss to one of the league's most snake-bitten teams.