The Magic were on the wrong side of the final score last night in Detroit, a night which was a tough watch even for the most die hard of fans!!! Orlando played without Wendell Carter Jr who was a late scratch from the starting five which gave Freddie Gillespie a shot with the starters.
Orlando didn’t shoot the ball very well at all, going 29 of 86 from the floor which was good for 33.7%, things weren’t much better from downtown with Orlando shooting 14 of 46 which equated to a 30.4% clip.
The Magic trailed much of the game, only taking the lead late in the third frame, however Detroit kept us at arms length as time wound down in Michigan with Detroit taking the Win once again.
Magic Top Performances
Cole Anthony playing his second game back having missed five consecutive games and eight of the last nine played. He provided 19 points however did take 18 field goal attempts to get these points. He also notched 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
Mo Bamba struggled and scored only 5 points. However he was more productive in other categories notching 4 blocks and 7 rebounds in his 28 minutes.
Franz Wagner had his streak of scoring in double figures snapped at 21, ending with 9 points. He has scored double figures in 34 of his 40 NBA games, including attaining 20-points or more on 10 occasions.
Gary Harris kept Orlando afloat much of the game and he registered 28 points in the effort. This did maintain a run of double-digit scoring for him which now stands at 19 in his last 21 games.
Terrence Ross contributed 13 points from the bench. His was the only significant scoring contribution from the bench unit.
Magic Starting Lineup – Cole Anthony (PG), Gary Harris (SG), Franz Wagner (SF), Freddie Gillespie (PF), Mo Bamba (C)
Bench Unit – Terrence Ross, Chuma Okeke, RJ Hampton, Tim Frazier, Admiral Schofield, Ignas Brazdeikis (DNP)
Moving On After this tough defeAt to detroit
Josh Cohen’s review of this loss to Detroit is available here on the Orlando Magic website.
Orlando’s record is now 7 wins and 33 losses. The Magic remain last in the Eastern Conference. The Magic have now lost 8 games consecutively. Of the last 10 games played the Magic have won 2 and looking back further it is 19 losses in 22 games. The home record stands at 2 wins of 16 games played, whilst on the road it is 5 wins in 24 played. In points per game the Magic score 101.7 whilst conceding 111.1, rating 28th on offence and 24th defensively.
The Washington Wizards
Washington have fallen back after their surprise start to the season. Rookie coach Wes Unseld is assisted by former Magic assistant coach Pat Delany.
As I write the Washington Wizards are listed on ESPN as having some significant injury issues. Thomas Bryant, Tremont Waters and Anthony Gill are all out through injury or Covid. Rui Hachimura, Montrezl Harrell, Davis Bertans are questionable to face the Magic and will be a game time decision. Brad Wanamaker could return from Covid reconditioning periods.
The Wizards’ starting unit from their last game was Spencer Dinwiddie (PG), Bradley Beal (SG), Kyle Kuzma (PF), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SF) and Daniel Gafford (C). From the bench came Raul Neto, Deni Avdija, Cory Kispert, Aaron Holiday, Greg Monroe and Isaiah Todd.
Final Thoughts As Orlando Are On A Back-To-Back In Washington
For Orlando the availability of Wendell Carter Jr is key as is the ability to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Pistons. Franz will look to start a new scoring streak having had his 21 consecutive games of double digits snapped in Detroit. He has scored double figures in 34 of his 40 NBA games, including attaining 20-points or more on 10 occasions. Cole’s impact was clear against Philly as he returned to lead the Magic offensive efforts but he struggled to shoot the ball in Detroit making only 5 of 18 from the field. If Carter Jr does not play or there are any more missing Gary Harris, Terrence Ross and Mo Bamba will have the team expectations upon them.
Washington will rely heavily on Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal for their offense and have had success this season as they sit with 19 wins and 20 losses but have dropped two in a row.
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