The Orlando Magic White kept things rolling and moved to 2-0 with a victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday at Amway Center.
The Orlando Magic White team kept things rolling with another solid and surprising 85-76 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Yet again, the Magic fell behind but turned up the defense to secure the win. This was a team who turned up the screws defensively, particularly in the fourth quarter, and took complete control of the game.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 76 | 91.5 | 44.3 | 30.6 | 18.1 | 22.9 |
| Orlando (White) | 85 | 103.9 | 41.7 | 36.4 | 12.8 | 54.6 |
The key to that was the versatile play of Chris Singleton.
The former Florida State forward and Washington Wizard has been adjusting from the small forward to the power forward position. He looks like he put on some weight to do so and is still adjusting. But where Singleton found his space was by taking up empty space off the ball and by attacking the glass.
Singleton finished with 17 points and six rebounds to help lead the Magic. Keith Appling also added 17 points on a perfect 11-for-11 shooting from the foul line.
Really, the game was won for the Magic on the defensive end though. Again, Orlando gave up less than 40 percent shooting (38.6 percent for the game).
Not even the presence of Myles Turner, who really dominated the game on both ends of the floor and had some major blocked shots, deterred Orlando. The Magic got to the line 36 times, making 30 free throws. That is a Summer League stat if there ever was one.
For Orlando, the key from this game is that once again this group of D-League prospects played harder than their opponents and played like their jobs were on the line. Frankly they are.
So far, it looks like Appling is a good leader and defender, leading the team from the point guard position in both games. And so far, it looks like Singleton still has some contribution he can make to the NBA game, at least with his energy and versatility.
The White team looks ready to play and maybe, just maybe, win the Summer League title.