Orlando Magic vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info

The NBA season finally starts on Christmas day, and two of the league's best teams have season openers in Oklahoma City, where the Orlando Magic take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

These two teams have some of the best offensive players in the NBA. Oklahoma City’s one-two punch of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will go against the Magic’s dominant center, Dwight Howard, and dangerous point guard, Jameer Nelson.

Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK

When: Sunday, December 25th, 8:00 PM ET

Watch: ESPN/ESPN-3.com or FSOKHD (Oklahoma City)

Listen: Orlando Magic- WDBO 580 AM Oklahoma City- KYAL 97.1 FM

Betting Line: According to 5Dimes.com, the Thunder are a eight-point favorite. You should take the Thunder in this game. They will be at home and, compared to the Magic, have the better overall starting five. 

Key Injuries

Orlando: Forward Hedo Turkoglu is questionable after suffering a left hip contusion. He suffered this injury in a preseason game against the Miami Heat. 

Oklahoma City: No injuries to report

What's At Stake

With this being the first game of the season for both teams, there isn’t a lot at stake here. Both teams want to get their season off to a great start. However, a loss to either Orlando or Oklahoma City will not set the other team back.

What They're Saying

Josh Robbins wrote on the Orlando Sentinel about the Magic and their conditioning concerns. 

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They will begin the season with four games in six nights. They will start the 2012 calendar year with five games in eight nights. They will close their January with six games in eight nights. 

"Some guys are in good shape, and some guys are trying to get into shape," center Dwight Howard said. "But it's tough. I think right now the biggest thing that we have to do as a team is try to take care of our bodies."

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After the Thunder’s preseason victory over the Dallas Mavericks, Newsok.com caught up with Oklahoma City head coach Scott Brooks. 

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With a day off Wednesday, the Thunder will have just three more days to fine tune things before Sunday's season opener against Orlando.

I'd give (our team) a pretty good score in the last 12 days of training camp, and the two games were pretty good, Brooks said. I thought the attention to detail, the concentration level, every day, every shootaround, was very good.

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Orlando Player to Watch: Center Dwight Howard

Howard dominated the offseason headlines in and around Orlando. He is coming into his final year on his contract, and could leave at the end of the year. He was questionable during the preseason, when he looked like he wasn’t hustling during a game against the Heat. 

Howard will be the most dominant player on the Magic. He has the ability to get 20 points and 20 rebounds against the Thunder. 

If Howard finishes with numbers around 20-20, the Magic should be able to cruise to victory. 

Oklahoma City Player to Watch: Forward Kevin Durant

Durant has been one of the best players in the NBA. Durant led the Thunder to a Northwest Division championship last year, and a trip to the Western Conference finals. 

He led the Thunder is scoring and rebounds last year, and should get off to another hot start this year. Against Orland, Durant should turn into a one-man wrecking crew, scoring 33 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. 

This will be a huge game to start the 2011-12 season and will start Durant on his quest to grab his second scoring title in his fifth year. 

Key Matchup: Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook vs. Orlando’s Jameer Nelson

The point guard matchup will come down to which team’s superstar has the better game. 

While Durant and Howard will dominate the scoring sheet, the winner will be the point guard who can get his offense going. 

It’s going to be great to see if Nelson will be able to match the bigger Westbrook. Russell has three inches on Jameer and had the better offense season last year. If Nelson can lock down Westbrook, the Magic will have a great chance at grabbing an early win on the road. 

Prediction

These two teams are the best in their respective conferences. They are both playoff contenders and should make a run for the NBA title this year. 

If Turkoglu cannot go for the Magic, that will be the reason why they cannot get a victory in their opening game. 

Without Turkoglu, the Thunder will see Durant go off for a huge opening day victory on Christmas. 

Final Score: Oklahoma City 113 - Orlando 98

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