Orlando Magic Week Six Preview: The Best Go West

The Orlando Magic enter this week on a five game win streak. With a 16-4 record for the year, Orlando is one of the four teams atop the NBA.

On Wednesday night, the Magic welcomed the New York Knicks to Amway Arena for their second meeting in four days.

Upon returning from suspension, Rashard Lewis struggled to regain his form. Lewis has eased back into his groove and has eclipsed 20 points in each of his last three games.

New York was no match for "Sweet Lew," who was 6-8 from the field including 5-7 from three-point range. 'Shard also grabbed a game high 11 rebounds.

Orlando scored at will in the 118-104 victory. Outscoring New York 22-8 on fast break points, the Magic outplayed the Knicks at their own game.

On Saturday night the Magic made their way out west to play the Golden State Warriors in Oakland. Orlando would have to keep up the fast paced offense to run with the quick scoring Warriors.

The Magic were able to keep up with Golden State in a 126-118 win for the guests. Leading the charge was Vince Carter, who is making quite a push for his ninth All-Star selection.

Carter scored at will, putting up 27 points, five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block while turning the ball over only once.

Rashard Lewis and Michael Pietrus also chipped in with 20 and 22 points respectively.

For the Warriors, Monta Ellis led all scorers with 33 points while Anthony Randolph added 28 and 13 rebounds.

Orlando will now take their league high 16 wins around the west as they face three of the better teams in the Western Conference. Let's take a look at the matchups.

Tuesday, Dec. 8 @ Los Angeles Clippers (9-11)

The Los Angeles Clippers had hopes for a better performance this season. Those hopes were tied to their newest addition to the frontcourt, first overall pick Blake Griffin.

In the preseason, Griffin came down wrong after a dunk and shattered his knee. The Clips don't expect Griffin back until sometime in January.

Chris Kaman has relieved some of the pressure by performing like an all-star this season. The center missed most of the 2008-09 season, but has looked very impressive since returning. Kaman is averaging 18.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks a game.

Marcus Camby is the defensive leader with 11 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a night.

The backcourt for LA is headed by Baron Davis running the point. Davis is assisted by youngsters Eric Gordon and Al Thorton. Gordon is developing into a consistent scoring threat.

The Clippers look like a team that will be absolutely ferocious upon the return of Blake Griffin. Until then, they will have to settle for being "the other team" in the Staples Center.

Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis are going to have to take advantage of mismatches to produce as Dwight Howard will likely have his hands full up front.

Thursday, Dec. 10 @ Utah Jazz (12-8)

Orlando will head to Salt Lake City to square off with the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

PF Carlos Boozer is having a career year for the Jazz. With 21.3 points and 10.9 rebounds a contest, Boozer exemplifies what a true power forward should look like.

In Deron Williams, Utah also has one of the most prolific point guards in the NBA. An impressive 18.9 points and 10 assists a game are the king of numbers you expect out of an all-star court general.

With Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Brewer, and Paul Millsap all averaging double-digit points, Utah has one of the deepest teams in the league.

The Utah Jazz seem to have all the tools and a very complete game. Orlando will have to get a well-rounded performance from the entire team to keep pace with the Jazz.

Friday, Dec. 11 @ Phoenix Suns (15-6)

The Magic look to hand the Phoenix Suns their first loss at home on Friday night.

Steve Nash continues to prove to everyone that he is still the best point guard in the NBA today. His 17 points a game are impressive, but it's his 11.1 assists a night that mean the most to the team. Simply put, Nash makes the players around him better.

Amar'e Stoudemire leads the Suns in scoring with 19 points a game but could show a little more effort on his defensive game.

Channing Frye has benefited greatly from playing with Nash by adding a new dimension to his game: long-range shooting. In his 278 games before joining the Suns, Frye had only hit 20 three-pointers. In his 21 games with Phoenix he has nailed 56 from downtown.

When these two met in early November, Orlando crushed Phoenix 122-100, giving them their first loss of the year. Orlando looks to repeat that performance and deliver them their first home loss of the season.