Orlando Magic Daily Grades: Orlando Magic 105, Chicago Bulls 103
By Zach Palmer
Victor Oladipo came up huge, late, once again. What other Magic performances were key to producing Orlando’s third straight victory?
Final. 103. 24. 105. 38
The Orlando Magic secured their third consecutive win, spoiling the return of Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose in the process. The Magic fought back from a double-digit deficit in the second quarter and took the lead on some stellar play from Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton, Evan Fournier and Victor Oladipo in the final two minutes.
Oladipo put the icing on the cake with a lay up with 1.5 seconds left to give the Magic the go-ahead bucket and then with a defensive play to force a turnover and ice the game from the foul line.
A. Victor gets an A tonight for his efficiency and more importantly his game-winner. Oladipo scored 23 points on 14 shots with nine of his points coming in the fourth quarter. Oladipo also spelled Elfrid Payton at Point Guard tonight and did a solid job. While Victor is probably the best option as the backup point guard right now, it’s not a good idea long term.<p>Oladipo played some good individual defense tonight. He did a good job staying in front of <strong><a href=. PG/SG. Orlando Magic. VICTOR OLADIPO
B+. <p>Orlando’s own Mr. Triple Double flirted with another one tonight. Elfrid Payton ended up with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Payton clearly outplayed his counterparts in Derrick Rose and <strong><a href=. PG. Orlando Magic. ELFRID PAYTON
B. <p>How much did the Magic miss Evan Fournier? Think about it this way, instead of Evan Fournier playing you had <strong><a href=. SG/SF. Orlando Magic. EVAN FOURNIER
B-. <p>Here we are again. Aaron Gordon finished out the game, and he responded well. While Gordon’s stats do not pop out at you (seven points, four rebounds), his impact on both offense and defense were huge.</p><p>Late in the fourth, Elfrid Payton passed to Gordon in transition. Gordon had the option of driving to the rim or kicking it to a wide-open Victor Oladipo in the corner. Without hesitation Gordon gave it right up to Oladipo in the corner and Oladipo drilled the three.</p><p>On defense, Gordon was good tonight. He did get lost on a couple of screens (although somebody may have been supposed to switch) but his individual defense on <strong><a href=. SF/PF. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON
F. <p>Chicago was playing for something tonight. This loss cost them any chance they had at the second seed in the East and they dropped to fourth thanks to the Raptors’ win over the Hornets. The Bulls did not seem to play their stingy brand of defense as the Magic got what the wanted most of the time.</p><p><strong><a href=. Team. CHI. CHICAGO BULLS