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Recap: Orlando Magic 112, New York Knicks 103
AP Photo/John Raoux
With the year 2010 coming to a close, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the New York Knicks by the score of 112-103 in front of a nationally televised audience and a record sell-out crowd (19,090) at the Amway Center. The win extends the Magic’s winning streak to five games. Orlando was led by a balanced attack, as seven players scored in double-figures. Dwight Howard paved the way for Orlando with 24 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks. Hedo Turkoglu had 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. J.J. Redick, Brandon Bass, and Ryan Anderson each finished with 14 points, while Jameer Nelson and Gilbert Arenas each chipped in with 10 points. Unfortunately for Howard during the game, he picked up his league-leading 12th technical foul of the season. Once Howard reaches 16 techs, he’ll be suspended one game. That’s a storyline to keep an eye on in the next few weeks, given the high propensity for Howard to earn technical fouls.
Although the Knicks won three of the four quarters against the Magic, it was a 40-point second quarter by the latter that was the difference. In that period, Orlando outscored New York by 19 points. What happened in that quarter?
Recap: Orlando Magic 110, Cleveland Cavaliers 95
AP Photo/Mark Duncan
The Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers by the score of 110-95 to extend their winning streak to four games. It was a competitive game for three quarters, but the Magic were able to blow things wide open in the fourth quarter and put the Cavaliers away for good. Orlando was led by a balanced attack, as six players scored in double-figures. Gilbert Arenas led the way for the Magic coming off the bench, finishing with 22 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, and three steals — it’s only the third time, since 1995, that a player came off the bench and had at least 20-plus points, 11-plus assists, and five rebounds (the other players to do it were Magic Johnson and Sam Cassell). Needless to say, Arenas lived up to his billing as sixth man extraordinaire. Jason Richardson had his long overdue breakout game in an Orlando uniform, putting up 20 points, five rebounds, and two steals. J.J. Redick had 14 points, while Dwight Howard and Earl Clark had 12 points each. Lastly, Jameer Nelson chipped in with 13 points, six assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
For the Magic, three-point shooting was the story of the night.
Orlando made a season-high 19 threes, which helped mask porous defense that was an issue throughout the game. Head coach Stan Van Gundy won’t like the effort his players put forth defensively, especially against one of the worst offensive units in the NBA. That’s Cleveland. But the Magic’s execution on offense — thanks in part to the Cavaliers’ own struggles on defense — was excellent, aside from a slow third quarter when they scored 15 points.
In the other periods, Orlando scored at least 30 points or more.
Recap: Orlando Magic 104, New Jersey Nets 88
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
The Orlando Magic were able to defeat the New Jersey Nets by the score of 104-88 to win their third consecutive game of the regular season. Only snow en route to the Prudential Center could stop the Magic from doing whatever they wanted against the Nets. Orlando was led by a balanced attack, as six players scored in double-figures. Dwight Howard led the Magic with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks. Hedo Turkoglu, who looks rejuvenated with Orlando, finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. J.J. Redick contributed off the bench with 15 points, while Jason Richardson had 14 points. Ryan Anderson, firmly in the rotation after the Magic’s trades, put up 10 points and 12 rebounds. Brandon Bass continued his mid-range shooting display, finishing with 11 points. Head coach Stan Van Gundy has been going with an eight-man rotation and it’s becoming clear, after a hectic month of December, that order is slowly restoring as Orlando heads into the new year with much different roster than which they started with in 2010.
This was an easy win for the Magic.
New Jersey put up a fight in the first half, trailing by seven at halftime. But Orlando was able to impose their will and blow the game wide open in the fourth quarter, in which their lead ballooned by as many as 23 points.
Recap: Orlando Magic 86, Boston Celtics 78
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
In their third consecutive Christmas Day game in as many years, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Boston Celtics by the score of 86-78. This is the first time the two teams met since the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. As has been the case the past few seasons, the Magic and Celtics engaged in a low-scoring defensive slugfest that was wildly entertaining to watch. Both squads took a hold of momentum throughout the game but in the end, it was a strong fourth quarter surge by Orlando that allowed them to prevail against Boston. In the process, the Magic became the first team in 13 years to snap 10+ game winning streaks in consecutive games. Orlando was led by a balanced attack, as five players scored in double-figures. Brandon Bass was a surprise contributor, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu had his best all-around game in his second stint with the Magic so far, chipping in with 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists. J.J. Redick had 11 points, including a clutch jumper in the late stages of the fourth quarter that allowed Orlando to come away with the victory. Ryan Anderson provided a spark off the bench, contributing with 10 points and nine rebounds. But the hero of the game was Jameer Nelson. Even though Nelson finished with 12 points, 10 of them came in the last three minutes of the game. Nelson was clutch for the Magic and one of the main reasons why they were able to win.
Recap: Orlando Magic 123, San Antonio Spurs 101
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
Badly needing a win, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the San Antonio Spurs by the score of 123-101 in front of a nationally televised audience and sellout crowd at the Amway Center. The Spurs entered the game with the best record in the NBA at 25-3 and even though they were playing on a back-to-back, there was no question they were going to provide the Magic with a difficult test. Needless to say, with their reconstructed roster, Orlando passed with flying colors and were able to blowout an elite team. The Magic didn’t just win, they ran the Spurs into the ground — literally — and left no doubt on the scoreboard.
30 fast break points for Orlando.
That’s the number that tells the story.
The Magic were led by a balanced attack, as seven players scored in double-figures. Dwight Howard continued to play like an MVP, finishing with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks. Gilbert Arenas provided a spark off the bench as the sixth man, chipping in with 14 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Brandon Bass and J.J. Redick each had 17 points, buoyed by efficient marksmanship from the perimeter. Jason Richardson had 15 points. Hedo Turkoglu had a simple but effective game with 11 points and six assists. And making his return from a sprained right foot, Ryan Anderson contributed with 10 points.
It’s been a while but Orlando has a performance they can be proud of.
Recap: Philadelphia 76ers 97, Orlando Magic 89
AP Photo/John Raoux
The Orlando Magic know a thing or two about playing shorthanded.
No stomach virus this time.
Instead, with the grand purge of Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Rashard Lewis, and Mickael Pietrus, as well as an injury to Jason Williams, the Philadelphia 76ers were able to beat the Magic — a team that was playing with seven players for half the game — by the score of 97-89. The Sixers were led by Elton Brand, who had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks. Andre Iguodala finished with 21 points and seven assists, while Lou Williams contributed with 24 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Dwight Howard had his first 20-20 game of the season for Orlando, putting up 26 points, 20 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Jameer Nelson had 17 points, nine assists, and five rebounds, while Brandon Bass had 18 points and eight rebounds. It was an uneventful game, considering Magic fans are curious to see Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, and Jason Richardson in action.
Recap: Denver Nuggets 111, Orlando Magic 94
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
When the Orlando Magic embarked on their four-game road trip to the West Coast, it was said that the players would learn a lot about themselves and as a whole, they’d figure out where they stand vis-a-vis the rest of the NBA elite — the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, and the San Antonio Spurs.
After the Magic went 1-3 against the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, and Denver Nuggets, one thing has become clear.
Orlando isn’t an elite team or a championship contender.
Something is missing from the roster. Against the Blazers, the Magic couldn’t score if their lives depended on it. Against the Jazz, it was a lack of defense. Against the Clippers, after a brilliant first quarter against one of the worst teams in the league, complacency and consistency cropped up as ever-too-familiar issues.
Against the Nuggets? There was little to no defense present from Orlando but more importantly, there was a lack of mental toughness and fight that has plagued the roster since the season began. When the going got tough in the fourth quarter, the Magic wilted and displayed a body language that emitted negativity.
Denver was able to defeat Orlando by the score of 111-94 in a game that was close for 42 minutes. After Vince Carter made a three-pointer at the 6:05 mark of the fourth quarter to pull the Magic’s deficit to one point at 92-91, the Nuggets went on a 19-3 run to turn a competitive game into a blowout. Carmelo Anthony led the way for Denver, putting up 35 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony got plenty of support from his supporting cast, with five players for the Nuggets scoring in double-figures. Orlando was led by J.J. Redick, who had a career-high 29 points on 12 shots — an excellent performance. Dwight Howard finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks. Carter chipped in with 18 points. Unfortunately for the Magic, it was a three-man show offensively between Redick, Howard, and Carter. No one else for Orlando was able to make a significant impact on the game, at least on the offensive side of the ball. The defense?
That was a different story altogether.
Recap: Portland Trail Blazers 97, Orlando Magic 83
AP Photo/Steve Dykes
The Portland Trail Blazers were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 97-83. For the Magic, they’re now on a three-game losing streak. An item of note is that this is the first time, in the Stan Van Gundy era, that Orlando has lost three games in a row without scoring more than 85 points in each game. Not sure if that anecdote carries any significance, but it’s something worth pointing out. The Blazers were led by Andre Miller, who flirted with a triple-double and finished with 22 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and two steals. Wesley Matthews continues his strong play in the starting lineup for Portland, finishing with 20 points and three steals. Nicolas Batum chipped in with 15 points and 10 rebounds. For the Magic, it was all Dwight Howard — 39 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks. Yes, four other players for Orlando scored in double-figures but they got their points when the game was no longer in contest.
Recap: Atlanta Hawks 80, Orlando Magic 74
AP Photo/John Raoux
In a poorly played game on both sides, the Atlanta Hawks were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 80-74. The Magic welcomed back Dwight Howard, Mickael Pietrus, and J.J. Redick from a stomach virus that ravaged the team during their three-game road trip in the Midwest. Jameer Nelson sat out the game as he continues to recover from illness. The Hawks were led by Josh Smith, who had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks and played one of his better games against Orlando in recent history. Al Horford finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Jamal Crawford chipped in with 15 points off the bench, albeit it took him 17 shots to get to that point total. Mike Bibby was the hero for Atlanta, scoring 11 points and making huge buckets down the stretch. The Magic were led by a balanced attack, as five players scored in double figures. Vince Carter was the lead man for Orlando, putting up 18 points and eight rebounds. Howard, shaking off the rust, had 14 points, 13 rebounds, two steals, three blocks but unfortunately for him, he also had six turnovers. Not good.
The Hawks do deserve credit for winning the game but boy, the Magic looked tired as they played their fourth game in five days. Apart from Chris Duhon‘s hustle play in the first quarter, in which he intercepted a pass from Smith that was intended for Crawford, then saved the basketball from going out-of-bounds while diving into the crowd and igniting a fast break that led to a layup for Redick, there was little energy or effort exhibited from Orlando. Atlanta didn’t look that much better, to be frank, but they made the necessary plays in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory on the road. James Naismith wouldn’t be proud of this performance if he were alive.
Recap: Orlando Magic 104, Detroit Pistons 91
AP Photo/Duane Burleson
No Dwight Howard. No Jameer Nelson. No J.J. Redick. No Mickael Pietrus. And after spraining his right foot literally seconds after checking into the game in the second quarter, no Ryan Anderson either. Guess what?
No problem.
Despite playing the basketball equivalent of a skeleton crew, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Detroit Pistons by the score of 104-91 to extend their winning streak to a season-high six games. Even though a stomach virus depleted the roster and forced the Magic to play with eight players, they performed like a more talented version of the “Heart and Hustle” team in 2000. Orlando has won a lot of games over the years but given the circumstances, this was one of the most impressive wins in franchise history. That’s not hyperbole. The Magic should be proud of this win because they played with tremendous energy and effort. It was a balanced attack for Orlando, as five players scored in double figures but the leaders of the game were Vince Carter and Brandon Bass. Carter, for one night, was the focal point of the Magic’s offense and superb in his role, finishing with 25 points, nine assists, and three steals. Bass was equally brilliant, scoring a career-high 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting and serving notice that he’s a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate in the NBA. Marcin Gortat chipped in with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. Quentin Richardson and Rashard Lewis each had 15 points at the forward positions.
