Orlando Magic Grades: LA Clippers 120, Orlando Magic 95
The Orlando Magic struggled to get their energy up and meet the LA Clippers, falling behind early and never really catching up.
120. 77. 95. 38. Final
Coach Steve Clifford said after the game he knew within the first 90 seconds that his Orlando Magic team did not have the requisite focus to score a victory Friday night against the LA Clippers.
If it was not obvious that early, it became obvious by halftime. And everything that could go wrong for the Magic went wrong on one second-quarter possession.
The Magic gave up an offensive rebound off a missed free throw to Boban Marjanovic. The Clippers reset and attacked again. Boban Marjanovic tipped the ball directly back to Milos Teodosic behind the 3-point line. He fired and missed. Marjanovic got another hand on the rebound and kept it alive for the Clippers.
This time Avery Bradley would reset, rotating the ball to Danilo Gallinari and then into Boban Marjanovic. He took the ball and fed it to Teodosic shooting into the lane. He finally made and claimed one more victim.
Jonathan Isaac was challenging for a rebound, something the team needed to get out of this possession. And that is when he landed on Marjanovic’s foot, turning his ankle and knocking him out for the rest of the game. Yet another sprained ankle for Jonathan Isaac.
Things felt pretty bad for the Magic.
A lackluster effort in a 120-95 loss to the Clippers left the Magic without much to hold onto. Orlando cut the lead down only to nine in the second half before LA pulled away. That came largely from Lou Williams scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half. But the Clippers were never really challenged.
That lack of fight from the Magic is the most concerning and disconcerting part of the whole thing. The Magic were seemingly out of it from the start. Their overall focus and attention to detail were lacking on both ends. The team was stagnant offensively in addition to missing shots at a continuing alarming rate.
But the Magic’s defense was weak and unable to make up the gap. Orlando lacked intensity on that end as LA worked its offense to get what it wanted.
More than that, the Clippers were first to every loose ball and played with energy. Something crazy to say coming off their back-to-back trip from Philadelphia the night before. It was not something the Magic could afford to do.
What was more clear is the Magic lack a true impact player. They had some key players play fairly well. But that was clearly not enough on its own. It really has not been for several years. And even at this early stage of the season, the Magic look like they are asking some major questions again.
D. <a href=. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON
B. <a href=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
B-. Perhaps part of the panic that is beginning to set in about the course of this season is that both Nikola Vucevic and <a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. EVAN FOURNIER
Orlando Magic. WESLEY IWUNDU. C-. <a href=. G/F
A-. This game had schedule loss written all over it for the LA Clippers. The team was on the last day of an East Coast road trip with home in sight. They were traveling from Philadelphia on the second night of a back-to-back. This is a team without a defined star and some offensive struggles. This could have been an easy night to pack it in.<p>Instead, the LA Clippers were the aggressors from the start, using their size and depth to bother the Orlando Magic all night and dictate everything to them.</p><p>It was not just Boban Marjanovic recording a double-double in scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Or Lou Williams’ 28-point effort. It was <a rel=. 5-4. 7th West. LA CLIPPERS
Next. Rebounding key element for Orlando Magic's focus. dark
The Orlando Magic are back in action Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs.