It’s a meeting between two of the East’s lowest-seeded playoff teams, and both are fighting to get some steady rhythm going.

HOME TEAM: Orlando Magic (16-20, 11-8 at home)

The Orlando Magic are struggling to stay consistent. After a pair of victories that had them winning by 21 and 20 points, they fell flat against the Utah Jazz on Sunday and lost, 109-96. With the defeat, the Magic have now dropped nine of their last 14 games. Among the central issue in the team is its unbalanced play.

Orlando is great at slowing the pace to disrupt the standard, fast-paced attack these days, and it has resulted in ranking second in points allowed (104.2 PAPG). All that, however, is virtually getting thrown out the window by a bottom-ranking offense, one that is dead-last in scoring (103.3 PPG), 26th in threes made, and 27th in three-point shooting.

Maybe a way to solve the Magic’s problem is to speed up the pace (currently 27th in pace). The system in place distributes the scoring opportunities well and the players seem to be responding fairly. Six guys are averaging in double figures, led by Nikola Vucevic (18.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG) and Evan Fournier (19 PPG).

ROAD TEAM: Brooklyn Nets (16-8, 7-11 on the road)

The Brooklyn Nets enter the contest as losers of five-straight games. It may be their worst stretch all season as they are losing by 12 points per game (101.6 PPG to 113.6 PAPG) and shooting just 40.7% during that span.

Caris LeVert, who missed the previous 24 games due to a thumb injury, returned during Sunday’s 121-102 loss to the Toronto Raptors. He scored 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 16 minutes of play. The 25-year-old is still being eased back into the rotation but considering the team’s struggles, it may come faster than usual. Look for LeVert to help Spencer Dinwiddie (25.6 PPG, 7.1 APG) in carrying the offensive load.

The Nets have an array of slashers and outside shooters and they play the 10th-fastest pace in the league, so it will be interesting to see it clash with the contrasting style of the Magic.

PREDICTION:

Dinwiddie will be in his usual form, but the Magic will take it, 106-101.

Despite having a down year, Orlando’s resident athletic freak, Aaron Gordon (13.2 PPG), could be in an interesting match-up with the Nets’ forwards.