The Orlando Magic outscored Portland 52-18 in the paint to pull away with an easy 102-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Orlando Magic hit a single three in the first half and the first of the game came early in the third quarter on a Tobias Harris desperation launch with the shot clock waning.
Even so, the Magic found ways to get good looks in the paint and get out in transition to defeat a struggling Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers 102-94 at Amway Center on Friday.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 94 | 97.5 | 51.4 | 16.7 | 19.7 | 35.6 |
| Orlando | 102 | 104.5 | 47.6 | 27.1 | 13.3 | 36.9 |
C.J. McCollum (POR) — 29 pts.; Damian Lillard (POR) — 17 pts., 10 assts.
Nikola Vucevic (ORL) — 25 pts.; Tobias Harris (ORL) — 25 pts., 12 rebs.
“We were a little uneven defensively,” coach Scott Skiles said. “I thought we had some really good moments in the second half. Those two guards are good. McCollum, when we made a mistake tonight, he made us pay for it. We did a lot of good things again. I felt like we noticeably turned it up in the third, got the ball moving again, played pretty good D and were able to build a double-digit lead. We would like to close the game out a little bit better, but we are still working on that.”
The Magic held the Trail Blazers to 43.8 percent shooting but gave up 11 made 3-pointers. That helped Portland stay in the game.
However, Elfrid Payton got the better of All-Star Damian Lillard as a rookie last season, and this year it was no different. Payton hit a career-high 11 free throws in 17 attempts en route to 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Payton’s ability to draw contact appears to have improved a lot, and the Magic attempted 31 free throws in the game.
It is a welcome trend given the Magic’s struggles in initiating contact.
“ was being aggressive,” Skiles said. “Sometimes Elfrid in certain games play so far off of him daring him to shoot, we feel like his shot is getting better, we know it is getting better, he makes just enough now to keep people honest. But also there are times when someone plays off of you, you can’t just settle for it. You have to drive right at him and try to go by him and make some sort of decision. I thought he made really good decisions tonight.”
Despite Payton’s standout play, the game’s real offensive stars were Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris. The pair combined to hit 13 of 20 in the first half while their collective teammates hit just 7 of 24 as the Magic held just a one-point lead at the intermission.
The Magic would get it going in the third quarter though. Orlando came out on a 16-7 run to start the period as Victor Oladipo’s defensive work queued the Magic’s offense.
Orlando held a 13-2 edge in fast-break points through three quarters while also scoring 38 points in the paint. Both factors helped Orlando build a lead on a night when the 3-point shot was not falling.
The Magic scored 23 points on turnovers on 19 turnovers, forcing seven each in the first and fourth quarters.
Vucevic finished the game 12 of 22 from the floor for 25 points and 10 rebounds. It was one of his finest efforts of the season and neither Meyers Leonard nor Mason Plumlee seemed to have any answer for the Magic big man.
The balance from the Magic offense eventually steamrolled the Blazers out of the game.
“That’s been our team pretty much all year,” Tobias Harris said. “We get different efforts from every guy. And whoever has the hot hand we keep feeding him. We’ve built a trust on our team that that guy is going to make the right play not just for himself but for the next guy. That’s how our team is. Once we play that way, we’re a tough team to beat.”
Vucevic established good post position all night and the Magic did a good job of feeding him the ball. Tobias Harris also had a huge and efficient offensive night, knocking down one of the Magic’s two threes on the night, but doing most of his damage while cutting apart the Trail Blazers’ defense. Harris knocked down 9 of 13 from the field and tied Vucevic for the team-high with 25 points.
The game for Orlando was a lot different than in the Charlotte game, but it was equally as effective. The Magic focused on getting it inside and that opened up a lot of looks at the rim and in mid-range.
Oladipo led the bench in scoring with 15 points, and the Magic improved to 10-4 with Oladipo as the sixth man.
It was a night when most of Orlando’s production was concentrated in its starting lineup, but Oladipo’s play proved crucial with Evan Fournier nearly going scoreless after dislocating his pinky finger in the first quarter and returning to the game.
The Magic seemed to pull together and find the right combination they needed to win and pick up the slack together.
Next: Grades: Orlando Magic 102, Portland Trail Blazers 94
“That’s just the way we play,” Vucevic said. “We move the ball a lot, kicking and driving, sharing the ball and making the extra play. Sometimes Tobias is going to score, sometimes I will, sometimes Vic, it’s always going to be a different guy. The best part is we all bought into it and we’re fine with everybody. The games where we really played well and we won by a large margin were the ones where everybody was around 15-16 points.”