Orlando Magic: Top 10 games of the 2018 season
3. March 14 vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Grades… Orlando Magic play for pride as they return home
It has been a long time since the Orlando Magic have had a player potentially coming off their bench who could just go off and put in a ton of points.
That is what the Magic were hoping for when they signed Jonathon Simmons. He showed that potential throughout his time with the San Antonio Spurs. He came to Orlando to get a bigger role. And the Magic gave that to him, starting him for most of the games.
This game here showed exactly what his potential can be. In bursts and flashes, he can shine and deliver some memorable performances.
None seemed as big or as needed as this one against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Coming home from a frustrating and difficult West Coast road trip, this game had schedule loss written all over it. How would the Magic muster up enough energy to win a game against a team as powerful and potentially as good as the Bucks?
This is why they play the games.
Simmons scored a career-high 35 points, making 7 of 12 3-pointers and 11 of his 22 shots overall. He had that burst of speed to get to the basket and his shot was surprisingly accurate. That is the kind of game Simmons can turn in from time to time.
It helped have scoring help from D.J. Augustin. He also had 32 points on 6-for-9 from beyond the arc.
This was an offensive onslaught pure and simple. One the Magic desperately needed at the time. One that came completely out of left field in many ways.
But this is what NBA teams do. They find a way to surprise you and put in stellar performances when opponents overlook or underestimate them.
This game should have taught everyone not to underestimate Simmons or the Magic.