Orlando Magic Grades: Portland Trail Blazers 121, Orlando Magic 84
The Orlando Magic laid another egg on the road, getting blown out by a superb Portland Trail Blazers team to end their West Coast road trip.
34. 84. 38. Final. 121
The Portland Trail Blazers scored. And kept scoring and scoring and scoring. Seemingly without any impunity or force to stop them.
The Portland Trail Blazers easily defeated the Orlando Magic 121-84 at Moda Center on Saturday. It was not a contest after Portland took control late in the first quarter with a barrage of 3-pointers and plenty of Damian Lillard among others.
The Trail Blazers worked the ball around the perimeter with tons of ease and got whatever shot they wanted it seemed. The Magic were always a step slow and that is always a recipe for disaster.
Their offense then got stuck in the mud, relying heavily on mid-range jumpers. Without stops, the team could not get much in transition. Again, a recipe for disaster.
The Magic finished their West Coast road trip 1-3 and without much more hope of improvement. Scott Skiles lamented that the urging for a Playoff push appeared to fall on deaf ears. A lackluster effort even on a getaway game did not inspire much confidence that things will change once they return to the East Coast.
Orlando Magic. ERSAN ILYASOVA. F. <p><strong><a href=. F/C
B-. <p><strong><a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. EVAN FOURNIER
C+. <p>Victor Oladipo scored the points. He led the team with 18 points on a healthy 8-for-14 shooting. He did a lot of things on the offensive side really well.</p><p>But the majority of his shots came in mid-range jumpers that seemed to be a bit too quick. It is something he has fallen in love with more and more of late. His scoring numbers are up so he is making those shots, but his shot selection could use some improvement.</p><p>Defensively, he did not get good pressure on Damian Lillard throughout the game and Lillard was able to get into the paint and distribute the ball well. Oladipo’s defense was not all bad, but he had the big assignment and that responsibility falls on him at the end to set the defensive tone. The Magic did not have one.</p>. SG. Orlando Magic. VICTOR OLADIPO
AARON GORDON. C+. <p><strong><a href=. PF. Orlando Magic
A. <p>Like the Orlando Magic, the Portland Trail Blazers played on the road Friday. They got trounced by the Golden State Warriors too, going down by 30 points and rallying to cut the lead in half in vain. There could have been a hangover and fatigue from mounting such a comeback.</p><p>Instead, the Blazers worked hard and played with energy. They got to the Magic and kept poring it on. Again and again. They shot better than 60 percent for most of the game and drained 3-pointers pretty easily. This Portland team was just rolling.</p><p>They had every advantage over the Magic and made up for Friday’s difficult game. This was a team that is fighting for the Playoffs and determined to put a bad game — or a good game — behind them and repeat the performance.</p>. 35-32. 6th West. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS