Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 85, Denver Nuggets 74
It was not pretty, but the Orlando Magic got a big spark from Elfrid Payton to hold off the Denver Nuggets and clinch a winning road trip.
74. 73. 85. 38. Final
The Orlando Magic had to dig deep and find a way to gut out a win on the road with shots not falling (they made just 1 of 16 3-pointers) and turnovers building upon themselves over and over again — 20 turnovers in total. The Denver Nuggets were doing their best to take advantage despite their own shooting and turnover woes.
It felt like whichever team sharpened up enough first would take the game.
That turned out to be the Orlando Magic. They held the Nuggets to 27 points in the second half and 24.4 percent shooting. Even with the turnover and shooting issues that persisted into the second half, Orlando had control of the game with defense as the catalyst.
That did not stop Elfrid Payton from knifing through the lane and pushing the pace when he could. And that proved to be enough of a push to get the Magic into the lead and hold on. The Nuggets had a run in them, but not enough to crack the Magic’s defense long term and push into the lead.
Orlando won ugly and in a hardly satisfying way. But the team did enough and the win is all that matters in the end.
ELFRID PAYTON. B+. <p>Elfrid Payton was by far the best player for the Orlando Magic throughout the game, proving to be the catalyst and the engine for the team in the third quarter as they erased a seven-point halftime deficit and pushed into the lead for the win.</p><p>He finished with 18 points and four assists. He shot 8 of 15 from the floor. It was hardly efficient, but all 15 of his shots came in the paint. He was aggressive and got into the lane with ease. It sparked an otherwise anemic offense.</p><p>Payton had to be the catalyst as he has been in many of the Magic’s most recent wins. No one else was bringing the energy, particularly in the half court. Payton found a way to get through the holes and kept his defense up after the entire team struggled in the first half.</p>. PG. Orlando Magic
B. <p>It took <strong><a href=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
ANDREW NICHOLSON. A-. <p><strong><a href=. PF. Orlando Magic
C+. <p><strong><a href=. PG. Orlando Magic. SHABAZZ NAPIER
C. <p>It is hard to get a good grip on what this Denver Nuggets team wants to be. The Magic giftwrapped them an opportunity to win and they did not ever really take advantage of it. The turnovers, the inability to shoot and the lethargic start should have meant a win for the Nuggets.</p><p>Denver just could not make shots around the basket at a consistent enough rate. Nor could the team get out of its own way. The Nuggets committed 17 turnovers on their own and their lack of consistent offense hurt them in the end too. The Magic were fortunate to be down just seven at halftime.</p><p>Denver was not able get itself straightened out. Once Orlando took over defensively, Denver had few ideas to break Orlando’s vice grip on the game. And the Nuggets really only had one run to threaten the Magic once they over took them.</p>. 8-14. 12th West. DENVER NUGGETS