3 things to watch, odds and before

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Season series: Tonight in Orlando; Dec. 4 in Philadelphia; Dec. 6 in Philadelphia; January 12 in Orlando

Our Record: 10-3/6-7 ATS

The Orlando Magic can count this homestand as a success regardless of what happens in the final game on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. The team has steadied the ship and won four in a row. Regardless of the opponent, it was what the team needed.

The win over the Indiana Pacers was big and significant. The Philadelphia 76ers don’t have the record that would impress anyone, but they do have the star power. And while Joel Embiid is still working to get himself back into shape and back into the swing of things, he’s still Joel Embiid. He’s still a handful.

And his presence could take away the Magic’s main route to scoring given their poor shooting overall. Orlando needs to get to the paint, and that could mean meeting Embiid and his inner presence — or trying to engage him in actions to stretch his mobility on his shaky knees.

The Orlando Magic have a couple of nice wins over the Indiana Pacers, but the team still lacks a win over a .500 or better team (0-3). The Philadelphia 76ers don’t count as that kind of team, but they have the star power that would be a nice notch on their belt.

Still with inconsistent shooting, it feels like dealing with the Sixers could still be a tough challenge even with their own shortcomings on offense.

3. It’s all about Embiid

So much of what the Philadelphia 76ers are trying to do revolves around Joel Embiid. He is the central star of this solar system and taking him out of the lineup greatly affected everything the 76ers do. Just look at their offensive output as they are 28th in the league in offensive rating at 106.9 points per possession. 100 possessions and have failed to reach 100 points in three of their 11 games.

Embiid’s presence should change all that. His debut Tuesday saw him limited and rusty, scoring 13 points on 2-for-11 shooting overall. Embiid may still need some time to get back into game shape from his knee injury. And he doesn’t have Tyrese Maxey right now to set things up for him and make it easier.

Still, Embiid is a big presence even when he’s not in full swing. And he’s been burning the Orlando Magic lately.

Embiid averaged 34.0 points per game. game, 10.0 rebounds per match and 4.5 assists per battle in two matchups with the Magic last year. Both ended up being blowouts, including the late-season loss that put the Sixers on the verge of passing the Magic in the standings at the end of the season.

Embiid may be weakened right now and may need some time to prepare physically. But the Magic have always struggled to handle him. And this game will be a challenge on that front.

2. Home cooking

If the Orlando Magic have one thing going for them, it’s that they’ve dominated the Kia Center, going 6-0 so far this season.

It’s not just that they’ve won every game — including three straight wins by 25 or more points before Wednesday’s win against the Indiana Pacers. It’s that they’ve been a completely different team.

The Magic have an offensive rating of 108.5 and a defensive rating of 104.3 for the season. They are posting a 50.9 percent effective field goal percentage for the entire season.

In their six home games, the Magic have a league-leading 116.1 offensive rating and a league-leading 98.1 defensive rating. They have posted a 54.7 percent effective field goal percentage.

It’s a night and day difference. And exactly what Magic wants.

1. NBA Cup action

The NBA Cup is back and the Orlando Magic have once again found themselves at the top of the standings and in control of their destiny after defeating the Charlotte Hornets by 25 points on Tuesday.

That gives the Magic a little cushion should they suffer a close loss in one of their final three group stage games. Of course, the Magic want to win these games and take care of things themselves instead of leaving things to the final game of the NBA Cup against the New York Knicks.

The Magic’s game against the 76ers was one of the big ones on the calendar. Orlando was expected to beat Charlotte. It was always going to be the games against the 76ers and Knicks that would determine if the Magic made it out of the playoffs this season.

This is a revealing game in East Group A.