PHOENIX — The Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns will collide tonight at Mortgage Matchup Center for Thursday night basketball in the desert.

To gain a better lense of the Magic's side of the matchup, we spoke with Magic On SI's Jeremy Brener on the five biggest questions surrounding tonight:

The Magic are 2-5. How would you sum up the slow start?

Brener: The Magic have faced a brutal schedule to start the season, playing five playoff teams from a year ago in their first six games. They then had to face the new-look Washington Wizards while they were on the second night of a back-to-back.

The schedule, coupled with multiple injuries to rotation players and learning new head coach Sean Sweeney's system have contributed to the subpar start.

Paolo Banchero is out tonight, how does that change the dynamic of this matchup?

Brener: Banchero's absence has completely changed the entire machination of Orlando on both ends of the floor. With Banchero out, the primary offensive responsibilities have fallen onto Franz Wagner's shoulders. Teams are defending Wagner a little bit differently, which in turn changes how other players fit into the offense. It's a domino effect that is ultimately resulting in an incomplete operation that just isn't delivering on the results it could, in theory.

What’s been the biggest bright spot for Orlando so far?

Brener: These early injuries have given other players the opportunity to step up, especially second-year point guard Jax Richardson, who has been starting in most of the team's games so far. Richardson looks a lot more confident than he did a year ago, and he is showcasing some growth that the Magic are excited to see.

On top of that, third-year forward Tristan da Silva is shooting far more three-pointers than he has in the past two years, and he is making them at a higher rate as well. Last season, da Silva averaged 4.2 three-pointers per game, making them around 37% of the time. This year, he's taking 7.4 three-pointers per game, and he's making 44.2% of them.

Reason you think the Magic could win tonight?

Brener: The Magic have played well on the road to start the season, and they have not played since Monday night. Their two days off have allowed them to get a proper reset, while the Suns are still reeling from last night's loss against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The break should give the Magic some perspective, and hopefully that will lead to a winning effort for Orlando.

Final prediction?

Brener: I believe the Magic will get back on track with a win against the Suns, giving them the proper start needed for this four-game road trip. Magic 114, Suns 106