Orlando Magic Grades: Memphis Grizzlies 73, Orlando Magic 71
The Orlando Magic Blue fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in overtime when Summer League MVP Aaron Gordon made a mistake. His response made him a stud.
71. 38. Final. 73. 211
The Orlando Magic built a 17-point lead in the first quarter, racing out of the gates behind another stellar offensive performance from Aaron Gordon. It was short lived though as the Grizzlies slowly crept back in as the Magic’s offense struggled.
Turnovers, fouling and poor shooting helped Memphis take the lead. Orlando had one last burst where things clicked and the team forced overtime.
In sudden death overtime though, Aaron Gordon’s inability to corral a rebound off a Jordan Adams miss gave Jarnell Stokes the chance to find Russ Smith to finish the game and give the Grizzlies a 73-71 win.
The defense remains a constant for Orlando and it gave the team a chance to win even as the shots continued to brick. That is probably more of what the Magic want to see than anything else.
B. <p>What more do we need to see from Aaron Gordon this week? He has done just about everything that could be asked of him and more with the way his jumper is confidently falling and the way he has led this team. Again, Gordon was “the man” and dominated the ball and the defense’s attention.</p><p>Tuesday, however, was Gordon’s worst performance this week. He shot 8 for 19 and missed several shots in that difficult second and third quarter. He found his shot again later int he contest and that was a positive sign.</p><p>The other positive sign was how he reacted to his biggest mistake of the game. He jumped too quickly on the rebound of that final shot in double overtime, giving up the offensive board leading to the game-winner. Gordon went up to his coach, <strong><a href=. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON
B. <p><strong><a href=. PG. Orlando Magic. PEYTON SIVA
B. <p>Jordan Morgan is not going to impress anyone looking at a box score — seven points and six rebounds in 23 minutes on Tuesday. But watching him play, and you see some value. He is able to muscle players around in the low post and fight and scratch for rebounds. It is a good thing to see.</p><p>Morgan is a big dude, but he has more athleticism than you would think looking at him. He uses all of that to his advantage.</p><p>He is still pretty limited on both ends of the floor. He has to rely on his positioning on defense and his offensive game is limited to put backs. But every team needs a guy willing to do the dirty work. Morgan can make his money there.</p>. PF/C. Orlando Magic. JORDAN MORGAN
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES. B+. <p>If the Summer League team takes on the identity of the parent team, this was a Memphis Grizzlies kind of game. They just found a way to grind the Magic offense to a halt and prevent them from getting into any rhythm whatsoever.</p><p>Russ Smith was a stud for the Grizzlies with 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting to go with three assists. He was able to get into the lane and score, hitting open shots when they came up for him. He was opportunistic and pesky throughout. Not to mention, he hit the game-winner.</p><p>The only knock on the Grizzlies was how they let things get out of hand early on for the Magic and how they let the Magic get their rhythm back and fight into overtime. Otherwise, Memphis was energetic and playing for each other, slowly chipping away at the deficit and making a big statement.</p>. 3-0. 19 pts.
Next: Orlando Magic Blue falls to Memphis Grizzlies in overtime