Terrence Ross proving to be a key boost for Orlando Magic

Terrence Ross was one of the few bright spots in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. His consistent energy has already proven to be a boost.

The Orlando Magic had a rough night Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers. In all the ways the Magic cannot have a rough night.

The Blazers put up 128 points, shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from the field. Damian Lillard put up 41 points, scoring 19 in the third quarter alone to keep the Magic squarely out of reach.

Unable to get big stops when they needed it and sorely lacking in playmaking — and really offense in general — the Magic ceded the fifth game of the season without much of a fight.

It was a night of disappointing performances. The defense was porous. The Magic’s point guards underperformed, scoring a combined 11 points and dishing out eight assists. Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier got their stats, with Vucevic putting up a double-double and Fournier putting up 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting from the field.

But The offense never looked like it was really fired up, and consequently could never close the gap between the two teams.

Except for Terrence Ross.

Ross’ stat line was a solid as it has ever been for the Magic. He scored 21 points, going 8 for 14 from the field and shooting 5 for 9 from three. It felt like he could not miss, as he took shot after shot from everywhere on the court.

Fadeaways, stepbacks, in transition, you name it. This is exactly the Ross the Magic need on their team if they expect to make any noise in the Eastern Conference this year.

This has become something of a norm for Ross. He just steps in and fills the gap for whatever the Magic need. His energy is consistent and constant throughout.

His shooting has not been great this year — 9.8 points per game coming on a 38.0 percent effective field goal percentage. But that does not completely define his impact or his game.

The Magic have put out some of their best defensive lineups with Ross on the floor. And he provides some balance and gravity with his shooting.

With Portland dominating much of the game, coach Steve Clifford turned to Terrence Ross to try to and right the ship. Ross played 29:17 in the game, taking Aaron Gordon‘s minutes down the stretch.

The Blazers started to pull away in the back end of the first quarter, ending 33-22 on a bank shot from Zach Collins. The starters were unable to make much noise as they allowed a 30 point quarter without generating much offense. Aaron Gordon started the quarter slow and did not really pick it up till the second half.

The Magic were seeking some energy and seeking some consistency.

Orlando Magic

That is where Ross entered. He began to heat up in the second quarter with a 21-foot pull-up. Then he sank back-to-back 3-pointers to bring the game within five points.

In the second quarter, he was hustling all over the court. In one memorable sequence, he dove out of bounds to save a loose ball, igniting a fast break. Ross jumped back into the play, popping out to the corner for a 3-pointer.

It was a rare bit of energy from the Magic where their defense fed the offense, doing exactly what it was supposed to do. These are the kind of plays that have become typical of Ross, opportunistic defense and plays that just generally make everyone else look good.

This is what the Magic expect from Ross. They do not need him to come in and drop 20 points every night. But when the team calls for it, Ross seems ready to step up.

It was, of course, not enough to counteract Lillard. The Magic probably have no one who can counteract Lillard when he gets going. And Lillard dropping 19 of his 41 points in the third quarter was on everyone on the defense. That play helped keep Portland in the lead comfortably.

But that is never Ross’ role. He is not the primary scorer. The Magic still need a team effort offensively and defensively to win games.

It was, all in all, a disappointing outing from the Magic, especially after the late game heroics against the Boston Celtics on Monday. Sometimes players of Lillard’s caliber just decide they want to win a game. And that is what happened Thursday night.

But Orlando is finding the energy it wants from Ross. He has quickly become one of the team’s most reliable options off the bench.