There was simply no MAGIC for Orlando in the loss to Portland last night in the Amway Center. Cold shooting saw Orlando lose by 98-88 to the Trail Blazers, as the Magic were unable to lay a punch against the NBA’s lowest ranked defensive team.
Jusuf Nurkic bullied Orlando in the paint taking a double-double of 21 points and 22 rebounds. Orlando were out rebounded on both ends of the floor, seeing Portland get second chances. Both teams committed a ridiculous amount of turnovers but only Portland were able to capitalise by scoring from the mistakes.
Magic Top Performers
Well this one is slim pickings!
Jalen Suggs continued with his strong play since returning to the court. He is shooting less speculative three’s and using his strength to drive to the basket. This has seen his efficiency improved and assists average 4 per game in the last 3 appearances. He finished with 10 points scored.
Moe Wagner was joint leading scorer for the Magic again with 14 points. As always he was the thorn that got under the opposition skin.
Franz Wagner joined his brother with 14 points. He has scored double figures in 38 of his 45 NBA games, including attaining 20-points or more on 10 occasions.
Gary Harris returned to scoring double-digit, hitting 10 points. He has made at least 10 points now in 21 of his last 23 games.
Cole Anthony flirted with a triple-double on another night where he had some struggles in the absence of Wendell Carter Jr. By the close Cole had scored 9 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal.
Mo Bamba took 4 blocks, a tally that saw him attain a 280 career total and move to 8th all time in this category for the Orlando Magic, surpassing Aaron Gordon.
Magic Starting Lineup – Cole Anthony (PG), Gary Harris (SG), Franz Wagner (SF), Chuma Okeke (PF), Robin Lopez (C)
Magic Bench Unit –Jalen Suggs, Mo Bamba, Terrence Ross, Moe Wagner, RJ Hampton, Admiral Schofield, Ignas Brazdeikis
Moving On After A Night Of No Magic For Orlando In The Loss To Portland
Josh Cohen’s game reviews are available on the Orlando Magic website.
Orlando’s record is now 8 wins and 37 losses, which sees the Magic remain last in the Eastern Conference. Of the last 10 games played the Magic have won 1. The home record stands at 2 wins of 18 games played, whilst on the road it is 6 wins in 27 played. In points per game the Magic score 101.6 whilst conceding 110.5, rating 28th on offence and 24th defensively.
Orlando now return to the road for a single game to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday 19th January (U.K. midnight Thursday).
The Philadelphia 76ers
Philly have been on a strong run of form recently, heavily resulting from the play of Joel Embiid. For many people he is in the conversation for Most Valuable Player this season.
Philadelphia’s record is 25 wins and 18 losses, seeing them 6th in the Eastern Conference. Of the last 10 games played they have won 8 times. At home the 76ers have an average record at 9 wins in 18 games played. On the road is a different matter, with an impressive 16 wins in 27 played. In points per game Philly score 107.2 whilst conceding 105.6, rating 13th on offence and 12th defensively.
Philadelphia lost last night in Washington, falling to the Wizards by 98-117. Joel Embiid was the leading scorer with 32 points. Tyrese Maxey was the only other Sixer to reach double digit scoring with 18 points.
Starting Lineup – Seth Curry (PG), Tyrese Maxey (SG), Tobias Harris (PF), Furkan Korkmaz (SF), Joel Embiid (C).
Bench Unit – Georges Niang, Andre Drummond, Isaiah Joe, Charlie Brown Jr, Charles Bassey, Myles Powell and Paul Reed.
Danny Green, Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton are all injured and then there’s still the issue of Ben Simmons being missing.
