It was another close game for the Orlando Magic last night, and without Victor Oladipo‘s heroics, it could have been a very different result.
The Orlando Magic have had no shortage of exciting, close games so far this season.
Tuesday night’s tilt with the Minnesota Timberwolves was no different, and something else that was no different was Victor Oladipo coming through big when his team needed him.
In the true style of a star in the NBA, Oladipo produced at both ends of the court.
Casting back to the first week of the season, Oladipo recalled the insane ending to the double overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That game included Oladipo hitting two HUGE step back 3-pointers when the Magic were up against the wall.
One here:
And one here:
Very re-watchable, very clutch.
Clutch does not necessarily mean vine-worthy highlights as the buzzer goes off though. Clutch is all the little things mixed with the big plays. It is the free throws as well as the dunks, the lane denial as well as the block, the effort as well as the win.
Oladipo has had a hand in many the same situation this year. He is the Magic’s leading scorer in the fourth quarter this year at 4.6 points per game in the final quarter (tied for 22nd in the league) and is often charged with marking the premier perimeter talent on the other end.
In the final three minutes when the game is within five points, Oladipo has scored 15 points in 28 total minutes. He has shot just 4 for 13 from the floor though. It has been a mixed bag offensively no doubt, but he has scored late though.
Oladipo’s energy, hustle and competitiveness is something to behold in these moments, and he was no different in the game Tuesday.
The Magic had been up big earlier in the game, but as the fourth quarter came around, the young Minnesota Timberwolves began the hunt and really caused some trouble for Orlando.
In all honesty, this looked the same as several situations already seen in Magic games this year where the Magic lost. If this had been played two weeks ago, the Magic might have lost.
The team freely admitted, they would have lost this game last year.
Oladipo had a very big part in making sure they did not, and instead extended Orlando’s winning streak to four game and placed the team back to eighth in the Eastern Conferece.
Oladipo brought the ball up for much of the fourth quarter, and was really pushing to get to the rim. It was not successful every time, but his aggression forced Minnesota to collapse and mark him.
At one point, with 9.27 left in the fourth quarter, Gorgui Dieng pushed Andrew Nicholson under the basket. Nicholson was slow to get up as Minnesota inbounded. Even on the broadcast, viewers could audibly hear Victor Oladipo barking at Nicholson: “C’mon man get up, play defense”.
Leadership is clutch too.
Not only was Oladipo bringing the ball up, but he was turning right back around and hounding Zach LaVine on defense, giving the second-year guard fits as he tried to escape.
Whether dribbling or shooting, there was no defense to be found against Oladipo.
While many Magic players were getting pushed out of the paint or settling for long jumpers, Oladipo refused to be denied, using ball screens and pure defiance to get himself to the rim.
The Wolves managed to tie the game with around three minutes left, after a few quiet minutes from Oladipo, but this is when he really turned it on.
He immediately got to the basket yet again for a big two-handed slam. The very next possession he doubled down and subsequently blocked Andrew Wiggins.
Following this he curled to the left, received a pass from Elfrid Payton and buried a confident 3-pointer.
Admittedly, LaVine stole the ball from Oladipo on the next Orlando possession, but the Magic guard immediately resolved himself by racing back down and throwing himself on the floor to swipe the ball right back.
With many other Magic players falling back into their bad habits when pressured, shooting long jumpers and settling, Payton finally copied Oladipo’s example of getting to the rim and it paid off.
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Oladipo forced another miss from LaVine and was then called for a very questionable block foul on Andrew Wiggins (Oladipo was legally set for a charge for a long, long time).
Luckily for all, Aaron Gordon sealed the win with yet more intense defense.
Without Victor Oladipo, this game would most definitely have had a different outcome.
Oladipo did not have any highlights that would make the top ten this time, but for those paying attention, he stood atop the Magic and dragged them through to the win. He did not wait for anyone to take the lead, he did not put his head down, he turned up and did what he does.
Next: Andrew Nicholson cements himself in the rotation
And the Magic are lucky for it.