The Orlando Magic had no answer for Damian Lillard throughout the second half and had no defensive answers throughout the night in a loss.
The Orlando Magic probably had one last push in them if they could get a stop. The momentum and the energy within the Amway Center was turning their way. They had fought and clawed their way back into the game so many times and never gotten over the hump. This was their chance to do so.
And there it was. The stop they needed. A deflection from Jonathan Isaac that would seemingly start that fast break that turns the momentum and puts a game of frustrating effort behind them and still gives them a chance to win.
Except Damian Lillard was there. He was always there. Silencing that run, halting that momentum. It was over and over again.
And as Jusuf Nurkic beat Nikola Vucevic to the floor to tip the ball out to Damian Lillard, everyone knew exactly what was going to happen. The 3-pointer fell in with ease and the Portland Trail Blazers had re-opened a 15-point lead.
Any hopes of the Magic coming back in this one were silenced. This was Lillard’s night in every way — scoring 34 of his 41 points in the second half — as the Trail Blazers defeated the Magic 128-114 at Amway Center on Thursday.
It might be easy to chalk up the game to the random bounce of a ball on a failed hustle play from several players. But that seeming game-clinching play was the exception not the rule.
Throughout the game, Portland caught Orlando flat-footed and lacking aggression defensively. The Blazers took a double-digit lead early and seemingly never let go — even with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum struggling to get going in the first half. It was Zach Collins getting the ball on reversals or Evan Turner beating the team in transition.
Orlando had the fight and resolve to keep battling back. The Magic snapped to attention enough to cut every lead down. But then the focus would wane and the Blazers would attack. Especially with Lillard who did whatever he wanted in the second half.
Orlando kept Portland within striking distance but never made that run to overtake the lead. The Blazers would always pull away and the Magic could not stop anything.
The Orlando Magic are next in action Saturday as they travel to the Fiserv Forum for the first time to take on the Milwaukee Bucks.