The Orlando Magic topped the New York Knicks thanks to some stellar defense and energy added by Dewayne Dedmon. How did he and his teammates grade in a win?
Nobody said winning had to be pretty.
The Magic won their first game when scoring fewer than 90 points this year (91 is their season low in that buzzer-beating win over the 76ers) and relied heavily upon their defense to get a win. Those are usually not how Orlando scores its wins.
When you have only 17 and have already fired your coach midseason, you take them where you can get them. Even if they get increasingly harder and harder to watch.
The Magic pulled out an 89-83 win, going on a 10-0 run to break a 75-75 tie in the fourth quarter. It was the kind of run and will to win that the Magic have not had in numerous fourth-quarter outings. No matter the opponent, the Magic got the job done.
And the team has looked better in four games with James Borrego as head coach.