Orlando Magic Grades: Portland Trail Blazers 112, Orlando Magic 103

The Orlando Magic took a 14-point lead in the second half but could not hold off a late rally from Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers in a defeat.

VS.

	1	2	3	4	T
Trail Blazers	23	23	31	35	112
Magic	25	30	30	18	103

The Orlando Magic were up 14 points midway through the third quarter, but could not extend their lead as the Portland Trail Blazers started to catch fire in the fourth quarter.

Damian Lillard knocked down a 3-pointer with about 8.5 minutes to go in the fourth to cut the lead down to eight. Lillard kept the 3-point barrage going, giving the Blazers a one-point lead and their first lead of the night about three minutes later.

Lillard scored 17 of his 33 points in the final 12 minutes, nearly outscoring the Magic on his own. Orlando scored just 18 points in the final quarter as they saw their lead evaporate.

With 35.5 seconds in the fourth quarter, C.J. McCollum went right for the easy dunk off the inbound play to ice the game, breaking Portland’s three-game losing streak. And continuing Orlando’s misery.

The Magic were a team in a bit of transition. They wasted no time integrating Terrence Ross, inserting him immediately into the starting lineup in his first game in a Magic uniform.

Ross scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds, and threw a few flashy passes to set up scores and free throw (he recorded just one assist). Ross scored his first basket as a member of the Magic when Jeff Green found Ross coming off a screen and gave the ball to Ross to splash a 3-pointer that electrified the crowd.

Orlando controlled the game throughout the entire contest.

The Magic had a comfortable 55-46 lead at halftime as Nikola Vucevic had 13 points and Mario Hezonja had a surprising 10 points. The Magic scored 20 points off 15 Blazers’ turnovers. Orlando was taking advantage of Portland’s mistakes.

Those mistakes dried up as Lillard took over. The Magic’s offense began to stagnate and get frustrated, trying to force shots. Orlando could not keep pace as Lillard began to set fire to the team’s defense.

C-. Terrence Ross played his first game in an Orlando Magic uniform, recording 13 points, five rebounds and three steals. He played a great game defensively, forcing turnovers. His length was definitely an issue for Portland.Ross did start getting carried away toward the end of the game shooting 4 for 17 overall. The young fella was definitely letting it fly during the game, but he was unable to help the Magic when they came down the court off a steal, Ross selfishly shot the contested three and miss the chance to cut the lead to three late in the game.. SF. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS

A-. Nikola Vucevic had a pretty solid night against the Blazers. He is known to play well against Portland. Gotta give credit where credit is due, he gave himself 25 points, nine rebounds and two assists.Despite Vucevic picking up a Technical foul during the game he still was able to help the Magic contain the Blazers until the late in the fourth quarter where Damian Lillard took off. Overall great performance from Vucevic.. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC

C. <a rel=. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON

24-33. 10th West. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS. C+. The Portland Trail Blazers were not sharp early in the first half, making themselves look like they really have played a game in eight days. Portland was able to climb their way back into the game to win their first game in Orlando since 2011.The Blazers committed 15 turnovers in the first half of the game, giving the Magic 20 easy points. Portland did limit Orlando’s shooting percentage in the first half to 38 percent. Orlando shot 12 more shots giving themselves an 11-point lead.Things flipped in the second half. Damian Lillard especially. Lillard scored 33 points including 17 in the fourth quarter to lead Portland back into the game. The Trail Blazers decision to go small to match the Magic proved to be a good one as the Blazers silenced the Magic down the stretch.