Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 98, Chicago Bulls 91

The Orlando Magic got their chance to make good and close a game out late as they followed Elfrid Payton‘s triple-double to a win over the Chicago Bulls.

VS.

	1	2	3	4	T
Bulls	22	31	24	14	91
Magic	19	24	34	21	98

The Orlando Magic have sought the way to win for a while now. Coach Frank Vogel wants his team to learn how to make the plays it takes to win.

So when the way cleared up as Evan Fournier tried to dig out a third offensive rebound on a possession with two minutes to play, Elfrid Payton jumped on it. The Chicago Bulls had gone with the ball and Payton, seeing open court in front fo him all game it seemed, was the one who would make the play.

His layup with 76 seconds left gave the Magic a four-point lead and a 98-91 victory over the Bulls at Amway Center on Wednesday.

Payton finished with a triple double by the end of the third quarter recording a career high in rebounds and assists in the process. He was everywhere for the team, keeping them afloat in the third quarter after the Magic fell behind by 13 in the second quarter.

Orlando made the winning plays down the stretch, whether it was scratching out a rebound or getting a big shot. It was not pretty, and it did not have to be. Orlando made just 7 of 25 3-pointers and shot 41.6 percent for the game.

The Magic just made sure they slowly crawled their way back into the game, erasing the Bulls’ large lead by the end of the third quarter. This was their chance at redemption.

Orlando made just 8 of 26 shots in the fourth quarter, relying more on the team’s defense to hold off the Bulls. Chicago scored just 14 points in the final quarter on 5-for-23 shooting. And the Magic made all the plays they needed to win the game.

This was a sign of growth for the Magic. A sign they were learning lessons.

More importantly, they found a driver to creat eenergy and pull the Magic up with him. That was Elfrid Payton throughout the game. He delivered them a win.

ELFRID PAYTON. A+. Elfrid Payton is the reason the Orlando Magic won this game. Plain and simple. He willed the team to victory after they fell behind by 10 at the half. He was the driver for the team as it pushed its way back into the game through the third quarter. He had the stats to back it up and then the energy to push his team to victory.Payton had his triple-double by the end of the third quarter, finishing with 22 points and a career-high 14 rebounds and a career-high tying 14 assists. Every single one of those statistics was needed to get the team up after such a poor first half.Payton was a terror offensively, attacking in transition and taking every space away from the Bulls. He finished with just two turnovers, impressively, as he cut through the defense and had his way. Payton is playing some great basketball and the space <a rel=. PG. Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic. BISMACK BIYOMBO. B. <a rel=. C

B+. Evan Fournier has had to be the one to force the action far too much this season. He is not the greatest driver in the world and can get himself caught wildly attacking the rim. He is not fantastic in these situations. But effort was never a problem nor was his desire. He just had to execute.Fournier was probably happy to see Payton, who is much better at these things, take the reigns and become a spot-up shooter and attacker off wing passes and rotations. As the game went on, his wild forays into the paint ceased and he became much more effective. Fournier finished with 20 points and added nine rebounds.More impressively, though, Fournier drew the assignment on Jimmy Butler. And he had to hold his ground. The Magic did a good job as a team limiting Butler. He scored 21 points, but made just 7 of 21 shots and took only five free throws. Fournier deserves a lot of credit for being the initial line of defense.. G/F. Orlando Magic. EVAN FOURNIER

C. With Nikola Vucevic out and the Chicago Bulls facing a bigger, tougher lineup, the Orlando Magic turned to rookie <a rel=. C. Orlando Magic. STEPHEN ZIMMERMAN

D. The Chicago Bulls have to feel disappointed with how this game turned out. The Bulls had a 13-point lead and seemed like they were going to win comfortably. They played with good energy and suffocated the Magic defensively early on.It is unclear how things fell out for the Bulls. Chicago stopped hitting shots, relied heavily on one on one ball and then asked Jimmy Butler to save them. Butler did not seem up for the challenge.The Bulls squandered this game away with 18 turnovers, turning into 20 Magic points and 27 Magic fast-break points. Chicago is supposed to be in the Playoff race and the team fell flat in a moment where it needed to to step up and beat a struggling team. No one seemed able to help Butler when the Bulls needed it most.. 31-33. 8th East. CHICAGO BULLS