Orlando got off to another slow start but finally woke up in the second half and blew out the Milwaukee Bucks, 117-92.
The Magic looked very lethargic early. They came out with a lack of energy and the Bucks took advantage of it, taking a 10-point first quarter lead. Orlando made late quarter run and finished the period trailing 25-21.
After shooting 33.3% in the first quarter, Orlando didn’t fare much better in the second, going just 7-of-19 from the field. The Magic played a decent game defensively in the first half and stayed within striking distance at 49-41.
The first eight minutes of the third period were pretty even. The Magic couldn’t quite get into the lead and the Bucks could not find a way to pull away. Milwaukee led 67-60 with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter then the Magic really picked things up. Jason Williams made two 3-pointers in three possessions and Dwight Howard’s block, rebound and hook shot, which was assisted by Williams, was sandwiched by those 3-pointers. The Magic closed the quarter with a 22-foot buzzer-beating jump shot by Matt Barnes that gave the Magic a 79-74 lead heading into the final period.
The Magic dominated the final quarter, completing shutting the Bucks down, outscoring them 38-18 in the period. The Magic set a franchise record by shooting 78.4% in the second half. The Bucks, meanwhile shot just 33.3% in the second half. The Magic outscored the Bucks 76-43 in the second half. After committing 10 turnovers in the first half, the Magic turned the ball over just four times in the second.
Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy was very pleased with the way the Magic played in the second half.
"“Obviously, a really really good second half on both ends of the floor and then the only thing we didn’t do tonight, I thought we turned the ball over in the first half, a lot. And, we didn’t rebound the ball very well tonight. But other than that I thought we played very well, particularly in the second half.”"
Vince Carter was excellent tonight. He made a really good effort to get the basket tonight and it paid off – he was 4-of-5 on shots at the rim and was 6-of-9 from within 15 feet. Carter finished the night by shooting 10-of-16 from the field for 25 points. He also had 4 assists and 3 rebounds despite bumping his head when he ran into the shoulder of Ersan Ilyasova during the third quarter.
The Magic went to Dwight Howard much more often Wednesday night. You could tell Orlando was making an effort to get him the ball right from the start. Unfortunately, Howard picked up his second foul midway through the first quarter and had to exit the game. He came back in to start the third quarter and the Magic continued to feed him the ball. He was 5-of-6 in the first half. Milwaukee Head Coach Scott Skiles thought Howard’s first half performance was key.
"“We need some more resistance out of him (Andrew Bogut). Dwight spun around and made the ball in the basket. He was 5-of-6 at halftime in something like nine minutes so we need to hold that ground a little bit better.”"
Howard finished the third quarter by going 8-of-11 from the field. He played just over four minutes in the fourth quarter and did not attempt another shot. Howard finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
In an attempt to fix Orlando’s early game problems, Van Gundy inserted Matt Barnes into the starting lineup instead of Mickael Pietrus. The Magic did not start the game with a burst of energy like he hoped, but each player played well. Barnes scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. He also had 6 rebounds and a block. Pietrus was 6-of-11 from the field and scored 15 points. He also grabbed 4 rebounds and had 2 steals.
Jameer Nelson struggled again. Van Gundy informed the media that Nelson had some family problems so he hadn’t practiced much nor had he slept much.
"“Jameer was really, really struggling, but he had some things going on with his family. He didn’t get any sleep, so he had no energy and that was my main thing with him. I know it’ll take some time to get back in the groove but he had not energy."
Luckily, Jason Williams picked up the slack. He made five key 3-pointers in the second half and finished with 16 points and 7 assists. Van Gundy was very happy.
"“J-Will was tremendous, picked him (Nelson) up very, very well, played great and was obviously very instrumental in the second half.”"
Williams says he doesn’t care about whether he starts or not.
"“The goal is still ten feet and it’s five against five out there so I just keep playing my game.”"
Orlando was okay on the boards, but didn’t dominate the way they could have. Of course, when you shoot an effective field goal percentage of 62.3% like the Magic did tonight, you’ll be in great shape.
The Buck shot an eFG% of just 43.8% thanks to the lockdown defense Orlando played in the second half.
The Magic struggled again with turnovers early, but wound up with just four second half turnover. The Magic forced the Bucks into nine second half turnovers.
The Magic made just five more field goals and just one more 3-point field goal than the Bucks but went 21-of-26 from the free throw line while Milwaukee was just 7-of-9.
Game Notes:
- Rookie sensation Brandon Jennings had another difficult shooting night against the Magic. He finished with a team-high 20 points but went just 7-of-19 from the field.
- For the second time this season, Luke Ridnour shot the ball very well against the Magic. He had 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
- The Magic had five players in double figures (Cater 25, Howard 17, Williams 16, Pietrus 15, Barnes 10).
- Rashard Lewis scored just 8 points on 2-of-6 shooting.
- The Magic are now 7-1 following a loss.
- Orlando won their eighth straight home game against the Bucks.
- Ryan Anderson received a DNP while Brandon Bass played 16 minutes. Van Gundy said the move was an attempt to slow down Hakim Warrick. Bass was very happy and traded insults with Anthony Johnson after the game.
Next Up: Orlando will spend New Years Day in Minnesota against the Timberwolves.
Final Thought: The Magic really turned it on against the Bucks, but they must get out of the gate quicker. I’ll have more on Orlando’s slow starts tomorrow.
(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a contributor at NFL Mocks Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)