Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 112, New York Knicks 99
Elfrid Payton helped breathe life into the Orlando Magic, helping them to a 112-99 victory over the New York Knicks in an all-around solid effort.
New York Knicks forward Michael Beasley, starting in Kristaps Porzingis‘ stead, found himself guarding Aaron Gordon on the second possession of Wednesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic. Beasley is by no stretch known for defensive prowess, but he is quick-footed for a power forward, which should theoretically work in his favor against the 21-year-old high-flyer.
Halfway through the Magic’s first shot clock, he nearly fell over backward as Aaron Gordon threw down a perfectly-placed Elfrid Payton lob out of a pick-and-roll.
The Magic missed Payton. They missed having any starting caliber point guard, really, as they struggled to stay afloat offensively their last two games. This performance reminded everyone watching how this offense is supposed to work.
There was consistent pressure on the Knicks defense early in the shot clock as the Magic got out in transition, partly due to the Knicks’ live-ball turnovers. But Payton pushed the pace even off dead balls.
In the halfcourt, he hit open men who proceeded to either take good shots or pass for a better shot. These simple plays were neglected against the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls, but his passing can be infectious like that.
The aesthetic difference was obvious almost immediately, but the results did not come until later.
The game was neck and neck until later in the second half. In the first, the Knicks continuously applied pressure to the Magic defense by running through countless options. Forcing Magic defenders to communicate and make decisions by cutting and screening off-ball. It led to some half-decent looks at the hoop. But they seemed to drain even some well-defended shots.
Their collective patience waned later in the game. The young Knicks forced more shots and tended to stand around watching whatever primary action they were running instead of staying active and engaged. That, plus some general sloppiness, worked to the Magic’s favor as they began to pull away.
Bench problems persisted for the Magic, however. The lack of shooting and shot creation on some of coach Frank Vogel’s second units – chiefly, those consisting of Bismack Biyombo and Shelvin Mack – inevitably led to New York gaining the upper hand at a few points of the game.
In the end, Orlando pulled away, in no small part due to Jonathon Simmons driving hard to the rim, scoring and drawing fouls. He clearly benefitted from having a clear directive and more energy late in the game as his point guard duties were relieved.
Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic all chipped in with 20-point games while Elfrid Payton offered up 11 assists. The team shot 46 percent from three and 53.8 percent from the field.
It was an all-around solid effort with excellent performances from most of the Magic’s key rotation players.
A. Elfrid Payton provided the spark for this Orlando Magic victory, but it was perhaps most obvious outside of the box score.<p>He finished with 11 assists, but that does not do justice to his offensive impact. The energy he brings whenever he has the ball in his hands has a far-reaching impact that seems to extend to the other four men on the court.</p><p>It was seen on the fast break, where the New York Knicks did not help themselves by handling the ball poorly and turning it over, but the Magic capitalized. Payton created additional transition opportunities simply by rebounding or by bringing the ball up quickly and pressuring the Knicks defenders.</p><p>He did hit trailers, hit wings, and took it to the hole himself. Similar things could be said about his halfcourt impact, where he created open shots for others, mostly out of the pick-and-roll. Where the Magic took ill-advised, contested midrange jumpers over the past two games, they instead had open looks and made extra passes.</p><p>Payton still has work to do on the defensive end, but he provided a positive impact Wednesday night with two steals and with active communication, calling out assignments and making sure his teammates were in the right spots.</p><p>His importance to this team has never been more obvious — the aesthetics and results of this offense were both clearly improved with him in a jersey instead of a suit.</p>. PG. Orlando Magic. ELFRID PAYTON
EVAN FOURNIER. B+. <a href=. SF. Orlando Magic
B-. <a rel=. SG. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS
B. <a href=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
NEW YORK KNICKS. C. Kristaps Porzingis has put up MVP-like numbers early on this season, but he sat out Wednesday night because of a sore elbow and ankle swelling. The Orlando Magic may have dodged a bullet as the New York Knicks often did not know where to turn for scoring.<p><a rel=. 6-5. 6th East
Next: Orlando Magic shining on defense, but see plenty to improve
The Magic next hit the road to start a four-game West Coast road trip. They are in Phoenix on Friday to play the Phoenix Suns.