Short handed and coming off of a gruelling 11 day road trip saw a lacklustre Orlando lose to Atlanta by 111-99 as they struggled offensively in the Amway Center. The Magic took more free throws, outrebounded the Hawks, were equal on assists and ultimately made just one less 3-pointer. As Orlando hung around on the scoreboard the Hawks despite the statistics cruised to victory, with neither Cole Anthony nor Franz Wagner finding their shooting rhythm.
There have been few games where both Cole and Franz have struggled, but a combined 8 of 28 field goals and no makes from deep hurt the Magic’s chance of winning last night. Terrence Ross also failed to register from beyond the arc.
By contrast Atlanta were shooting it straight, with a field goal percentage of just under 50% on the night and 35.5% with the three-ball. Trae Young and John Collins did much of the damage, with 28 and 21 points respectively.
Magic Top Performers
With the added absence of Mo Bamba and Gary Harris Orlando’s starting unit and bench options were disrupted. This and the road fatigue showed throughout for the game as the Magic struggled for rhythm. Chuma Okeke and RJ Hampton started.
Starting lineup – Cole Anthony (PG), RJ Hampton (SG), Franz Wagner (SF), Chuma Okeke (PF), Wendell Carter Jr (C)
Moe Wagner led the Magic with 19 points from the bench.
Terrence Ross continued his scoring run amidst trade rumours, just not from range. He notched 18 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, a block and a steal.
RJ Hampton led the starting five with 15 points.
Moving Forward After A Lacklustre Orlando Lose To Atlanta
Up next for Orlando is a back-to-back, the first night of which is in the Amway Center to face our State, Conference and Division rivals; the Miami Heat. The game tip is 7pm Friday 17th December (midnight Thursday here in the U.K.).
Orlando’s record is now 5 wins and 24 losses. The Magic stay 14th in the Eastern Conference. Of the last 10 games played the Magic have won just the 1, whilst being on a 6 game losing streak. In fact for Orlando it is now 13 losses in 14 games. The home record stands at 2 wins of 11 games played, whilst on the road it is 3 wins in 18 played. In points per game the Magic score 101.3 whilst conceding 111.8. In offensive and defensive rankings Orlando remain at 28th.
The Miami Heat are 5th in the Eastern Conference with a 17-12 record. Of the last 10 games played the Heat have won 5. Their road record is standing at 9 wins of 17 played. Miami score an average of 106.9 points per game, whilst conceding just 103.8 (the 3rd least conceded in the NBA).
Miami’s last game was also last night and finished in a road win over the Philadelphia 76ers by 101-96. Gabe Vincent led the Heat with 26 points. Duncan Robinson had 21 points, Kyle Lowry 14 points and PJ Tucker 12 points.
Starting Unit: Kyle Lowry (PG), Gabe Vincent (SG), PJ Tucker (PF), Duncan Robinson (SF), Dewayne Dedmon (C)
Josh Cohen’s review of the Hawks loss is available here on the Orlando Magic website.
