Warriors' fourth-ranked offense meets a short-handed Orlando defense

The short-handed Orlando Magic (2-6) visit the Golden State Warriors (6-3) at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 7, as Golden State's fourth-ranked offense meets Orlando's 25th-ranked defense.

Golden State scores 116.4 points per 100 possessions. Orlando allows 114.7. Opponents post an effective field goal percentage of 54.7 against the Magic, so the Warriors' shooters should find open looks.

Turnovers tilt the same way. The Magic give it away on 16.2% of their possessions, second-worst in the league, and the Warriors force them at the fifth-highest rate. Each giveaway hands Golden State a run in the open floor.

The glass offers one more edge. The Warriors grab 31.4% of their own misses, sixth in the league, against an Orlando defense that ranks 19th on the defensive boards.

Stephen Curry averages 29.9 points and shoots 98.2% from the line, so fouling him buys Orlando nothing. Draymond Green runs the offense with 7.1 assists a game and is questionable.

Franz Wagner carries Orlando's playmaking with 8.5 assists but commits 4.4 turnovers a game. Wendell Carter Jr. averages 9.4 rebounds and is the Magic's best hope on the boards.

Orlando is missing its top scorer. Paolo Banchero, who averaged 24.5 points in two games, is out and expected back Sunday, November 22. Jalen Suggs, who leads the team with two steals a game, is out until Tuesday, November 10. Noah Penda, Jonathan Isaac and Izaiyah Nelson are also out.

The Warriors are thin too. Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis are out, and Gui Santos and Gary Payton II join Green as questionable.

Golden State has won six straight, including a 120-100 victory over Miami. Orlando has dropped three in a row, the latest a 103-94 home loss to Washington.

Sportsbooks' prices give Golden State a 67% chance to win. Our projection agrees at 67%, with the Warriors by 5.5 points.