ORLANDO – After Wednesday’s victory over the Brooklyn Nets now 26-40, the Orlando Magic are a perfect 13-0 this season at the Kia Center against opponents who are currently under .500.
This may not seem like a big deal to some, as good teams usually beat weaker teams at home. But being unbeaten at home against the weaker side at this stage of the season is very unusual.
So far, 47 times a team that currently has a losing record has beaten a team on the road against an opponent that currently has a winning record. Meanwhile, the Magic, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder are the only undefeated teams in their home arenas against the weaker side.
The fact that there are three teams with a chance to finish a season undefeated at home against sub-.500 teams is pretty astonishing. The last time a single team did this was during the 2017-18 season, when the Toronto Raptors were 18-0. The year before, the Golden State Warriors went 19-0.
The last time three teams over .500 at the end of the season didn’t lose a home game to teams under .500 at the end of the season was 2011-12, but it was a 66-game shortened season due to the lockout. . Ironically, the Magic were one of those teams to do so that season, the other two being the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers. In a normal 82-game season, the last time occurred in 2007-08, when the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz each went 18-0.
Among the 18 teams with a winning record so far this season, the Pacers, who sit 37-30 overall, have the worst record (10-6) at home against losing teams. The Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns are each 11-5.
Now, if you look at the Magic’s home record, you’ll see 13-1. That’s because the game they played against the Atlanta Hawks in Mexico City on November 9 counted as a home game.
The Magic, in general, haven’t had many disappointing performances this year. Overall, they are 23-6 against teams currently below .500. The only two teams with more wins against losing teams, regardless of location, are the Cleveland Cavaliers (25-5) and Celtics (24-1).
Two of those Orlando losses came to Brooklyn early in the season; two others came to Atlanta; as previously mentioned, they lost another game to the Hawks in Mexico; and they lost by one to Memphis.
Against winning teams, the Magic are 15-22 overall and 9-8 at the Kia Center. Of the 18 teams, they are one of 12 with a winning record at home against opponents over .500. The Celtics are No. 1 at 16-3, while the Heat are last at 6-10. The Mavs and Warriors have played the most home games against top competition so far. The Mavs are 10-12 and the Warriors are 8-14.
The crowds at the Kia Center have been loud and energetic all year, a big reason why the Magic have had so much success at home. Already, four of the top five attendances in Magic history have been established this season.
Of the 16 remaining regular season games, 10 will be played at the Kia Center. Half of them will face opponents below .500.
