Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 102, Portland Trail Blazers 94
The Orlando Magic knocked off the Portland Trail Blazers 102-94 behind big nights from Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic.
34. Final. 102. 38. 94
The Porltnad Trail Blazers were unable to keep the Orlando Magic out of the paint. Though the Magic were not hitting the three ball in typical fashion, they found a multitude of other ways to make the Blazers pay.
The Magic got out in transition in forcing 19 Trail Blazers turnovers and the Magic’s core players all came through with fairly big nights.
Here is our review of the Magic’s third consecutive win.
NIKOLA VUCEVIC. A-. <p>This may have been Nikola Vucevic’s best game of the 2016 season. Neither Mason Plumlee nor Meyers Leonard were able to find an answer for Vucevic, as he proceeded to obliterate the Blazers with an array of post-up opportunities and some patented long two-pointers.</p><p>What was best about Vucevic is how aggressive he was in establishing position, and also how good his teammates were about getting him the ball once he had.</p><p>The Magic went to Vucevic for the first play of each half, and both times he came through. Vucevic knocked down 12 of 22 from the floor while Plumlee and Leonard never got much going on the other end, combining for just eight points.</p><p>On a night when the Magic were unable to get much going beyond the arc, Vucevic was able to get a lot going inside of it. He also did a good job on the glass in coming up with 11 rebounds, four of which came on the offensive end. It was good to see Vucevic staying aggressive offensively, but perhaps even better was the way his teammates made sure he got the ball often and in good position.</p>. C. Orlando Magic
A-. <p>Tobias Harris hit 8 of 10 from inside the arc and 1 of 3 beyond it to finish with 25 points in the game. Harris started the night right, hitting five of his first six shots as he and Vucevic established the tone for the Magic. He scored early in transition and had a few fast-break dunks that were the result of both his and Victor Oladipo’s defensive efforts.</p><p>The Magic had active hands and Harris had three of the team’s 11 steals. Harris is often maligned for not being a good enough defender, but that was hardly the case in this one.</p><p>While Al-Farouq Aminu did finish with 16 points, Harris kept his hands active and was instrumental in forcing Damian Lillard into six turnovers. Harris and the Magic were good about helping one another and the Blazers were not able to get a lot going, even when they did beat Orlando off the dribble.</p>. F. Orlando Magic. TOBIAS HARRIS
B+. <p>Elfrid Payton made a career-high 11 free throws and he came up with two steals and a block. He was the key in Orlando getting out on the break, and the Magic scored 15 fast-break points in the game, though a lot of transition buckets could have reasonably been labeled such.</p><p>Payton still is not really shooting the ball that well outside the paint, but he has been so good at getting it right to the rim that defenders are not even able to punish him for lacking the jumper.</p><p>He and Oladipo paired well defensively in frustrating Lillard, but C.J. McCollum was able to find shots all night. It did not help that Payton appeared to injure his ankle late in the second quarter. He was certainly playing hurt through the second half.</p><p>Payton did have a heady task since Portland’s scoring efforts are concentrated in its backcourt, but he came out on top tonight and he has now historically gotten the better of Lillard thus far in his career after notching a triple-double against Lillard in Orlando last season.</p>. PG. Orlando Magic. ELFRID PAYTON
C-. <p>Portland showed why it is a sub-.500 team given how much trouble it had with Orlando on the defensive end. The Magic were able to get good shots the majority of the night while the Blazers could get little going outside of its backcourt.</p><p>Lillard and McCollum finished with 46 points but Lillard was just 4 of 15 from the field. McCollum kept Portland in a game that really was not as close as the final score indicated, and Orlando looked fully in control with a double-digit lead that opened up in the third quarter and never closed.</p><p>Oladipo hit Orlando’s second three in the third to put the Magic up 77-68. Portland came out flat after halftime and paid for it as the Magic reeled off a 16-7 run to take control of the game. The Magic never looked back, and Portland really needs to add some frontcourt help before it becomes much of a threat in the West again. Perhaps that is a given after a team loses its entire frontcourt in an offseason.</p>. . Portland Trail Blazers. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS