Orlando fall short in Brooklyn after building a 19 point first half lead, after Jalen Suggs erupted for 17 first quarter points. But the Nets dominated the second and third quarters on their way to beating the Magic 115-113.
The Magic we came flying out the blocks in the opening quarter outscoring the Nets 42-25 in the opening period. Magic rookie Jalen Suggs was on fire scoring 17 points on 6-7 from the field and knocking down four 3-pointers.
Brooklyn who were very sluggish in the first 12 minutes dominated the middle quarters outscoring the Magic 65-42. Veterans Patty Mills and James Johnson gave the Nets a big boost off the bench combining for 39 points to help cut into the Magic’s large lead.
Orlando struggled keeping James Harden off the free throw line, going 19-20 from the foul stripe, but the Magic held him to just 7-25 from the field.
Unfortunately, Orlando failed to get calls on the offensive end, which contributed to frustrating night with missed calls down the stretch that were pivotal in the final score.
With the game tied 104-104 with under 4:30 minutes remaining, Cole Anthony’s layup attempt was blocked on the backboard, despite hitting the glass first, the officials failed to call it a goal tend.
The Nets head the other end and get to the free throw line, a big momentum shift.
The Magic battled throughout despite the bad officiating, they got the Nets lead down to 2 in the closing seconds but went onto lose 115-113.
Top Magic Performers As Orlando Fall Short In Brooklyn
The starters continue to play well as a unit, one of the best net rating lineups in the league, Orlando also had a nice boost off the bench including Chuma Okeke.
Terrence Ross The Human Torch continues his nice run of form, posting 15 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. T-Ross was 3-6 from beyond the arc, but he missed a crucial free throw down the stretch after the officials went back to review a previous play, icing the torch on the first attempt.
Cole Anthony shown yet again his ability to help his team with not just his scoring, but his playmaking finishing with 16 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds.
Chuma Okeke had his best performance of the season since returning from injury. He was a huge factor off the bench with his ability to defend well and he posted 17 points to give the bench a boost.
Jalen Suggs tied a career high with 21 points, the Magic rookie was on fire in the first 12 minutes scoring 17 points, but cooled off after the Nets gave him more attention on the defensive end. Jalen was very good on the defensive end once again.
Moving On After Orlando Fall Short In Brooklyn
After playing Brooklyn last night the Magic now move to face Milwaukee tonight, what will be the second night of a back-to-back. The road trip finishes by the Magic again facing the Bucks game on Monday night.
Milwaukee will also be on the second night of a home back-to-back having played the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. The Bucks won 96-89.
Top performances came from Giannis Antetokounmpo who finished with 21 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists, Bobby Portis also finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Orlando’s record is now a losing 4-12, with the Magic sitting last in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee are 10th in the East with a 8-8 record. Any way you cut it that is not the start most people expected from the NBA’s defending champions.
A review of the Nets game by the Magic’s Josh Cohen can be read here on the Orlando Magic website.
