Orlando Magic Year in Review: Top 10 games of 2016

December 13, 2016

The Orlando Magic were not supposed to have a strong offense. They were not supposed to be able to put up a ton of points. And for much of the first half of the 2017 season, the Magic indeed struggled to score points.

For one night, the Magic had one of the best offensive performances in franchise history.

The Magic’s 131-120 win in early December was a sign of the team’s offensive capabilities and just what can happen when the team gets rolling.

Elfrid Payton scored a career-high 26 points. Serge Ibaka scored 29, Evan Fournier had 26 and Jodie Meeks had 20 points. The Magic simply dominated the game offensively, shooting a scorching 58.6 percent from the floor.

The Magic finished with 36 assists in the game. This was the Magic’s offense at its absolute peak. The mix of defense and offense in the final quarter showed what the Magic can be, as we wrote at the time:

"The most memorable play for the Magic, the game-clinching one, came when the Magic turned the ball over and faced a 2-on-1 fast break. As the Hawks prepared to lay the ball in, Bismack Biyombo blocked it against the glass at the last moment while trailing the play. Orlando pushed it the other way and got Serge Ibaka a short floater. It gave the Magic a 12-point lead with about three minutes to go and put the game out of reach. It was about the only defensive highlight the Magic had."

The Magic were riding about as high as any point this season following that win in Atlanta. It was just a beautiful picture of teamwork and ball movement. It was the Magic at their very best.

Even if it was brief, undercut by the inconsistency the team would follow.