Orlando Magic at Phoenix Suns Game Thread

The Orlando Magic travel to face the Phoenix Suns at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. This will be the first of a four-game road trip for the visiting Magic, who look to maintain their torrid scoring pace as they face one of the Western Conference's lesser teams.

To hear Frank Vogel tell the tale, though, the Phoenix Suns aren't the team you think they are, and he went as far as calling them "a good team." While some of that is no doubt a head coach trying to be respectful of the opposition, there's an argument to be made that the Suns are not the team we saw lose by 30 points a night at the start of the season. Since firing Earl Watson and installing Jay Triano as head coach, the Suns are a more respectable 4-5, albeit in the middle of a 4-game losing streak.

Elfrid Payton will play in his second game since returning from dealing with a hamstring injury. Before the game, Vogel noted that Payton probably overworked himself in the victory against the New York Knicks, and he continues to deal with tightness if he sits too long. He'll likely see a reduction in playing time to around 25 minutes.

The game tips off at 9:00 PM Eastern (7:00 PM Mountain). You can watch the game on Fox Sports Florida (or NBA League Pass, outside the Orlando Magic market), or you can listen in at ESPN 580 Orlando.

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