The Orlando Magic begin working on the busy second half of their preseason schedule tonight when they host the new-look Chicago Bulls. Chicago got some bad news recently when it learned top-dollar free-agent signee Carlos Boozer will miss the first month or two of the season due to a broken hand, sustained when he tripped over a bag in his home. But the complaints otherwise are few and far between. The Bulls inked Joakim Noah to a lucrative contract extension and seem to have a bright future. And despite their 2-3 preseason record, they own a positive scoring differential and, under new defensive-minded head coach Tom Thibodeau, have limited their opponents to 48 percent effective field goal shooting.
| 2010/2011 NBA Preseason | ||
|---|---|---|
 | @ |  |
| 2-3 (0-2 road) Lost 1 | 4-0 (2-0 home) Won 4 | |
| October 16th, 2010 | ||
| Amway Center | ||
| 7:00 PM | ||
| No local TV | ||
| Possible Starters | ||
| Derrick Rose | PG | Jameer Nelson |
| Keith Bogans | SG | Vince Carter |
| Luol Deng | SF | Rashard Lewis |
| Joakim Noah | PF | Brandon Bass |
| Omer Asik | C | Dwight Howard |
| 2009/10 Advanced Stats | ||
| 93.1 (11th) | Pace | 92.0 (18th) |
| 103.5 (27th) | ORtg | 111.4 (4th) |
| 105.3 (11th) | DRtg | 103.3 (3rd) |
| Game Officials | ||
| David Jones | ||
| John Goble | ||
| Eli Roe | ||
Orlando will rest Quentin Richardson and Mickael Pietrus tonight, giving Rashard Lewis another chance to start at small forward. He'll have a tough test guarding Luol Deng, who's added the three-point shot to his offensive arsenal; he's taken nearly half of his shots from long range this preseason, while connecting on 55 percent of them. The Bulls have played a jumbo lineup featuring centers Noah and Omer Asik, which also gives the Magic an opportunity to try their version of a big lineup by playing Brandon Bass.
I'm here at Amway Center to cover the game live.