Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon return to knock off the rust

Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic returned to the lineup and led a brief charge in the Orlando Magic’s offense. Really, they just need to regain their rhythm.

Aaron Gordon’s first shot attempt did not go as planned. After working to get others involved with a couple of nice passes, Gordon was getting his turn.

He cut along the baseline and received a pass right at the basket. Right underneath the basket, actually. For the super athletic Gordon, that is an immediate two points. A little bit of space is more than enough for him to use his elite athleticism and rise for a jam.

Gordon’s timing was… just a bit off.

He rose up and found himself a bit too deep beneath the basket. The rim met him as he was reaching the apex of his jump. It was a somewhat embarrassing finish.

Gordon, coming off a strained hip flexor that cost him the last nine games, certainly looked a bit rusty. He hit his first two 3-pointers of the game, showing good lift and generally good patience. But some of the other parts of his game may take some time. He can still fly. Finishing? That is still a little ways off.

HIs soaring jam to end the first quarter seemed like a sure two points for him. For Aaron Gordon. Instead, it flew off the back iron and started a New York Knicks fast break, ending in a Tim Hardaway Jr. jam.

Gordon still has to get himself back into game shape.

"“I was out of sorts, out of rhythm, out of shape,” Gordon said assessing his play afterward. “It’s going to take some time. A couple of days to get my shape back. The one thing I pride myself on is having a motor. I got to get my motor back.”"

That was apparent throughout the second half. Gordon was trying to force his shot and get the Magic going as the offense stagnated. It was a disappointed locker room that could not seem to turn the corner and stem the tide from the New York Knicks throughout the second half.

Gordon finished the game with nine points and five rebounds, making three of his nine shots.

But Gordon also turned it over three times. He was slinging passes around and just not in sync with his teammates. Not in the same way Nikola Vucevic was.

Nikola Vucevic too looked rusty at times. His defensive timing was a bit off. But he looked refreshed and ready to go, dropping in jumpers and dishing the ball from the high post. The Magic offense seemed to flow naturally with him out there, giving drivers and cutters around him space. Vucevic still gets a ton of respect around the league and from defenses.

"“I think it will take me a couple of games to get back into rhythm,” Vucevic said. “My condition and wind was good. It was good for me to get out and do some work. All the shooting and stuff that I did showed tonight. I was able to be effective.”"

Vucevic fared a bit better in his first game back. He scored 19 points and grabbing six rebounds. Vucevic had 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting at halftime. His presence was very noticeable as the Magic offense rolled on throughout the first half.

But the adrenaline of the first stint wore off fairly quickly. And the players were clearly a bit winded despite the clear positive impacts.

The Magic had two of their biggest players back and it was clear they helped.

In the first half, the team had an offensive rating better than 140 points per 100 possessions with each starter on the floor. Both Vucevic and Gordon contributed to a team that was moving the ball and scoring at will in the first half.

The addition of the two new key players clearly had an effect.

"“It gives us a lot of opportunity offensively,” Evan Fournier said. “They both had a good game. You could definitely feel [Gordon] was looking for his shot. But I’m sure he is going to bounce back next game. Vuc had a lot of easy shots at first. He got into his rhythm. I thought they both did a good job.”"

That opportunity dried up in the second half. The Magic offense slowed down and both Gordon and Vucevic clearly looked a bit winded. They were not able to keep up their hot starts from earlier in the game. Orlando struggled to create, even with those two players in.

And things got worse when the Magic turned to the bench.

It was disappointing to say the least. Orlando, as Shelvin Mack described it, beat themselves with too much one on one play. It may not have been players trying to do the wrong thing, but the team lost some of its connectivity.

No doubt, Orlando will have to wait a while for Vucevic and Gordon to get back into rhythm. They need to get back into game shape, it would seem. They also need to get back on the same page as their teammates.

Often, Gordon was left slinging the ball to teammates, getting himself trapped at times. Vucevic too was often not where his teammates expected him.

All that will come back in time.

The Magic can seemingly afford to give that time with the position it is in.

But Orlando has waited a long time to be healthy again. And for at least a brief glimmer, the Magic looked like a juggernaut. For two injured players who have been out for some time, it was a good return.

Next: Grades: New York Knicks 120, Orlando Magic 113

And a disappointing finish.