The days are gone when the Portland Trail Blazers could be considered a heavy favorite against teams such as the Orlando Magic, owners of fifth-worst record in the NBA.
The Blazers have lost nine of their last 12 games as they watch their season spiral down the drain. Furthermore, Orlando won 109-106 at Portland on Jan. 10. And that happened with Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons in the lineup.
Orlando’s length dominated that game. Rookie Paolo Banchero, helped by his 6-foot-10 frame, scored 19 points with 10 rebounds. The 6-10 Wendall Carter Jr. had 20 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-10 Franz Wagner lit up the Blazers for 29 points. His brother, backup center Moritz Wagner, scored 11 points in 17 minutes.
The Blazers during their struggles have been susceptible to teams with size and length, especially with Nurkic out. That makes Sunday’s game quite precarious.
A loss would push the Blazers to six games under .500 with 18 games remaining. They would have to go 12-6 the rest of the way to reach .500 again.
The Blazers, tied for 12th in the Western Conference, are 1 1/2 games out of 10th place and 3 1/2 games out of sixth.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS AT ORLANDO MAGIC
What: Trail Blazers (29-34) at Magic (27-37), 3 p.m., Sunday.
Where: Amway Center, Orlando.
Radio: Rip City Radio (KPOJ 620 AM).
TV channel: Root Sports Plus (in Portland: Comcast 1253, DirecTV 687-1).
Watch the game live online: You can watch this game live for FREE with fuboTV (free trial). You can also get this game on DirecTV Stream’s “CHOICE” package (promotional offers), if you are out of fuboTV trials, or simply prefer that platform and their pricing plans. If you already have a cable or satellite provider that carries Root Sports and want to watch online, you can watch this game live on Root Sports Live.
ODDS (Oregon Lottery/DraftKings)
Moneyline: POR +105 | ORL -130
Spread: POR +2 | Over/Under: 228
INJURIES
Blazers: Anfernee Simons (right ankle sprain), Jusuf Nurkic (left calf strain), Justise Winslow (left ankle sprain), Ibou Badji (left knee soreness), Ryan Arcidiacono (lower back pain) and John Butler Jr. (G League) are out.
Magic: Gary Harris (adductor soreness) and Franz Wagner (left ankle sprain) are questionable. Jonathan Isaac (adductor surgery) is out.
NEXT UP
The Blazers play at 4 p.m. Monday at the Detroit Pistons (15-49).
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook). Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts