The Orlando Magic put together a strong defensive effort in the second half to stifle the New Orleans Pelicans and secure a 104-89 victory at Amway Center.
The Orlando Magic were determined to have a more consistent effort defensively throughout the game after laying a virtual egg Saturday against the Miami Heat. It was what they talked about all day Sunday and was clearly the focus early on.
There was some slipping in the first quarter but the team righted the ship defensively. And then righted the ship offensively to keep that positive trend going.
Orlando is not out of the woods yet defensively for sure. The team can still be better and get into the right spots quicker and more effectively. Breakdowns still occurred. But generally Orlando was playing better defense throughout.
And the offense continued to hum along at an elite level, a major surprise for this team. Orlando got strong performances from Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Andrew Nicholson specifically as the ball moved quickly and fluidly around the horn.