Best Game of 2018
Oct. 30 @ New Orleans: 18 points, 6/10 3FGs, 5 rebounds
There was always going to be a game or two where Marreese Speights just got hot and overwhelmed a helpless team. His popping on pick and rolls are tough for any team to cover and he trails transition plays as well as any player in the league.
So when that onslaught comes, the team just has to take advantage. The Magic experienced two such games where Speights just got hot and could not be stopped, even with a hand in his face.
The first one was a doozy. Mostly because it came with Frank Vogel working on a hunch.
Speights was not part of the rotation to begin the season. Frank Vogel opted to stick with Bismack Biyombo as the backup center. It was not the worst decision. But his team was clearly struggling a bit offensively when they came to the Smoothie King Center in late October.
That is when Speights struck in the second half. Vogel went with him on a hunch and it paid off big time.
Speights drained six 3-pointers in quick succession, turning the Magic’s deficit into a runaway win. In a time when the Magic needed a reason to believe that this year was going to be different, this was the kind of game that suggested it would.
Orlando had pulled a game out of nowhere thanks to a surprise contribution. And that contribution lifted the entire team.
This is what a team brings in Speights to do. He is good for a few of these games. On this night, the Magic did not waste it.