Tip-off: Saturday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Los Angeles -2.0

The Magic will be going for their sixth straight victory when they head to Los Angeles and face a Clippers team that will be without Chris Paul.

Orlando has been on fire recently, winning its fifth straight contest in Thursday night’s 103-94 victory in Utah. This team is much improved from a year ago and will be looking to win a third consecutive road game when they head to Staples Center. The Clippers, meanwhile, lost their last game 103-91 at home against the Pacers. Los Angeles had won three straight games before suffering that defeat. One thing favoring Orlando coming into this game is the fact that the team is 10-2 ATS when coming off of an ATS win this season. The Magic are also 10-3 ATS as an underdog on the year and are starting to receive a bit more respect from the rest of the league. Los Angeles, meanwhile, is just 4-7 ATS as a home favorite on the season. The team is also going to be without PG Chris Paul (Ribs) for the next few weeks and SG J.J. Redick (Ankle) is questionable for Saturday’s game. For Orlando, only PG C.J. Watson (Calf) is dealing with an injury and he is doubtful for this contest.

The Magic are playing some very balanced basketball, scoring 101.6 PPG (t-12th in NBA) and allowing just 99.3 PPG (11th in NBA). Orlando is excellent on the glass with 46.3 RPG (7th in NBA) and also moves the ball effectively with 22.4 APG (8th in NBA). PG Elfrid Payton (10.9 PPG, 6.4 APG, 4.2 RPG, 1.3 SPG) has really played well over the past two games, averaging 14.0 PPG, 6.0 APG, 5.5 RPG and 1.0 SPG in those contests. He will need to take over in this game with Chris Paul not on the court to give him trouble. Another guy who has played well is C Nikola Vucevic (15.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG). Over the past five games, Vucevic is averaging 16.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 30.8 MPG. He has a tough matchup with DeAndre Jordan in this one, but he will need to find a way to produce on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he shouldn’t have much trouble, though. He is capable of scoring in a number of ways and Jordan likely will not be able to shut him down.

With Chris Paul out, PF Blake Griffin (24.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 4.8 APG) serves as the Clippers’ best playmaker. He did, however, struggle against the Pacers on Wednesday. Griffin went 6-for-18 with four turnovers in that game and will need to be a lot better against Orlando. Even with the poor performance, he is averaging 25.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 5.8 APG over the past five contests and should be able to turn in a good one on Saturday. C DeAndre Jordan (10.4 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 2.6 BPG) has been a rebounding machine over the past two games, averaging 19.5 RPG in those contests. He will need to be a menace on the glass and do a good job of making life difficult on Vucevic. SG Jamal Crawford (12.3 PPG, 2.2 APG) will have a bigger role with Chris Paul out. Crawford had 16 points, six rebounds and three assists on Wednesday, but he was just 5-for-16 from the field and 1-for-8 from the outside in the game. He must shoot better moving forward or it will be tough for the Clippers to win.