The Orlando Magic failed to get their offense going, as a lack of ball movement and the Utah Jazz’s swarming defense forced them to take bad shots.
The game started off very slowly for the Orlando Magic as the Utah Jazz jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead. It was a preview for the rest of the night — even though the Magic finished the first quarter with a flourish.
Orlando’s last two wins were strictly a result of great ball movement, and they completely were shy of that not only to start the game but throughout the whole game. The Jazz’s quick and shifty defense forced the Magic into shot clock issues throughout the game. Orlando shot 11 times in the last three seconds of the shot clock throughout the entirety of the game.
It was no surprise the tam was unable to keep things close after Joe Ingles had a 3-point barrage in the second quarter. Utah could never run away thanks to a strong Orlando defensive effort. But it was still a comfortable 94-80 win for the Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday.
The starting lineup struggled to get going offensively, as the Magic’s two best scorers, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon combined to shoot 8 for 36 (22 percent) from the field for the game. The Magic bench did not help either, aside from Mario Hezonja, no one else could get going as Shelvin Mack struggled off the bench, as well.
Jonathan Isaac was playing his third game back from a lengthy ankle injury, as he looked very rusty on the offensive end. But he did some very encouraging things on defense. He went up vertically to challenge a lot of shots at the rim. He even blocked two shots.
The Jazz continued their great play defensively, limiting the Magic to only 80 points and forcing 14 turnovers. Center Rudy Gobert finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds on a very efficient 9-for-10 shooting. He added two blocks too. He made it extremely challenging for Magic players to get into the paint, while he challenged well with his savvy 7-foot frame.
Joe Ingles and Jonas Jerebko chipped in with shooting lights out from beyond the arc as they combined for 30 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the 3-point line. Ingles, finished with eight assists as well. The rookie sensation, Donovan Mitchell played very well, as he finished with 19 points.
The Magic were sloppy on offense, shooting 34 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc. The Magic are not an isolation based team, they need to move the ball around to have success, as they have in the past.
One encouraging sign coming out of this game was the defense the Magic played. The team, for the most part, played well on that end. Aside from a few boneheaded errors, the team had a solid night on that end of the floor.
Next: Orlando Magic Third Quarter MVP: Mario Hezonja
The Magic will go to the Staples Center to face the Lakers on Wednesday in their second game of this five-game road trip.