The Orlando Magic face a tough test Friday evening when they host the Chicago Bulls in a nationally televised matchup of strong Eastern teams. Orlando's amassed a 5-2 record, good for third in the East, but has done so against mediocre competition. In contrast, three of Chicago's six wins have come against teams that made the playoffs last season, and another was against the rejuvenated Los Angeles Clippers led by Chris Paul.
The big buzzword for the Magic following their easy win Wednesday against the Washington Wizards was "energy." Getting off to a strong, energetic start is of the utmost importance against any great club, but it'll prove difficult against a Bulls team that plays slowly on offense and relentlessly on defense.
Tipoff is set for 8 PM on ESPN nationally and Sun Sports locally.
| 2011/2012 NBA Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 | @ |  |
| 6-1 (4-1 away) Won 5 | 5-2 (4-0 home) Won 1 | |
| January 6th, 2012 | ||
| Amway Center | ||
| 8:00 PM | ||
| ESPN / Sun Sports | ||
| Probable Starters | ||
| Derrick Rose | PG | Jameer Nelson |
| Ronnie Brewer | SG | Jason Richardson |
| Luol Deng | SF | Hedo Turkoglu |
| Carlos Boozer | PF | Ryan Anderson |
| Joakim Noah | C | Dwight Howard |
| 2010/11 Advanced Stats | ||
| 90.4 (T-22nd) | Pace | 91.4 (17th) |
| 108.3 (11th) | ORtg | 107.7 (T-14th) |
| 100.3 (T-1st) | DRtg | 101.8 (3rd) |
| Game Officials | ||
| Ken Mauer | ||
| John Goble | ||
| Derek Richardson | ||