The Chicago Bulls play host to the Orlando Magic at the United Center on Friday night.

Orlando Magic 

The Orlando Magic are starting to build some momentum with two wins in their past three outings and they will be hoping to keep it going after sneaking past the Bulls in a 96-94 road win on Wednesday. Paolo Banchero led the team with 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists, Cole Anthony added 16 points off the bench while Goga Bitadze chipped in with 15 points and 11 rebounds. As a team, the Magic shot just 39 percent from the field and eight of 28 from the 3-point line as they dominated the second quarter by 29-12 to take a 19-point lead, but they never put the Bulls away and needed a clutch game-winning shot from Banchero with just 1.1 seconds left on the clock to escape with the narrow win. 

Chicago Bulls 

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls have been in a rut with six losses in their last eight games and they will be out for revenge after getting beaten by the Magic in a heartbreaker on Wednesday. Zach LaVine led the team with 19 points, Nikola Vucevic added 17 points with nine rebounds and three assists while Alex Caruso chipped in with 16 points on five of seven shooting off the bench. As a team, the Bulls shot just 39 percent from the field and nine of 33 from the 3-point line as they worked hard in the second half to erase a 19-point deficit, only to fall victim to a game-winning shot from Banchero in the end. Coby White had a rough game of just five points on two of 10 shooting while Jevon Carter scored just three points on one of seven shooting. 

Peter’s Pick

The Magic are shorthanded once again with Markelle Fultz already ruled out, while the Bulls are keeping an eye on DeMar DeRozan who is questionable due to personal reasons. The Magic have been solid all season and they’re a young team that would still be buzzing from their thrilling win on Wednesday. The Bulls will be disappointed that they weren’t able to get the win on Wednesday, but they were good enough to erase a 19-point lead, so they will be quietly confident going into this meeting. This line changes if DeRozan suits up for this one, but the Magic have been the more consistent team overall and I think they get the win once again in a close one.