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The Orlando Magic have been hit badly by the injury bug this season, but they are now reportedly on track to return to full strength as soon as Thursday when they face the New York Knicks. Both Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon are slated to see action on the night, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon practiced fully with their Magic teammates today and are on track to play when the Magic host the Knicks on Thursday night.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) February 20, 2018
The 27-year-old center was a full participant in their practice session on Tuesday and showed no signs of being hampered by the hand injury he suffered earlier this season. He has been on the sidelines since December, which makes his potential return a huge boost to the Magic who have been struggling to string some wins together throughout the campaign. Vucevic has only appeared in 34 games so far but was playing well before getting hurt, with solid averages of 17.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 blocks in 29.9 minutes.
Gordon, on the other hand, has missed the Magic’s last nine games due to a strained left hip flexor. That also forced him to withdraw from Saturday’s Slam Dunk Contest, where he was initially slated to participate in. He is enjoying his best season as a pro with career-high averages of 18.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 34.0 minutes per game, and has been their go-to-guy in some late game situations.
Bismack Biyombo and Jonathon Simmons will make their way back to the bench for the Magic. If there’s any good news for them though, their solid play with their two teammates injured has given them a lot of confidence and may have earned more playing time from head coach Frank Vogel. Vucevic and Gordon could be slowly eased back as well which could mean that Biyombo and Simmons may still see more court action.
