Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 111, Philadelphia 76ers 106
The Orlando Magic fell behind by 16 points in the fourth quarter and mounted a comeback to spoil Jimmy Butler‘s debut with the Philadelphia 76ers.
106. 93. 111. 38. Final
Terrence Ross said the play was not drawn for him. The way he has shot the ball lately, every play might as well be. But this one certainly was not. It was not really drawn at all. The Orlando Magic seemingly could not get into their set as the clock ticked down. It was devolving into the chaos that comes with the end of games.
Terrence Ross has had to be that guy to create his shot and shot confidently for this team the entire year. In Philadelphia in October, Ross was the one who missed a shot to win the game badly on a relatively clean look. That did not stop him from continuing to find his rhythm and get things going.
There was no doubt about this one. As he rocked the defense to sleep and pulled up for a 3-pointer with eight seconds left.
There was never a doubt what the result would be with Ross shooting the ball the way he has. It went in pure. And the Magic had a three-point lead with eight seconds to play.
The Magic had completed a 21-0 run earlier in the quarter to erase a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit. They had the Philadelphia 76ers staggered as they welcomed Jimmy Butler to the team.
And that was evident when Ben Simmons‘ dribble handoff to J.J. Redick led Redick to take his cut out of bounds. The turnover that sealed the Magic’s 111-106 win over the 76ers at Amway Center on Wednesday.
Orlando seemingly struggling to keep up with a multi-faceted Philadelphia attack and impenetrable defense had taken a home win. They stuck with themselves, never lost faith and accomplished the most important thing of the night — winning the game.
The Magic never let up. They kept attacking and eventually found the spark. Whether it was Nikola Vucevic‘s consistent offensive production, Terrence Ross’ 3-point shooting, Aaron Gordon‘s all-around play or Jonathan Isaac‘s earth-shattering block of Joel Embiid. Those are all the things a team needs to win a game.
The Magic never really changed from when they fell behind 16 to when they came back to win the game. They started hitting shots and playing with a bit more intensity and urgency. That is all necessary.
But Orlando had a win they could certainly be proud of and satisfied with as they defended their home court in exactly the way they needed.
SG. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS. A. Terrence Ross continues his strong run of play that has him as the most reliable player on the Orlando Magic no matter the lineup. He is the guy the team turns to when the shot clock runs down, taking the reigns when the team simply says, “Do something.” That is essentially what happened on his game-winning basket. And he did indeed do something.<p>Ross finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, shooting 6 of 9 from the floor. That kind of production is becoming regular for him. He is averaging 16.7 points per game while shooting a 64.9 percent effective field goal percentage.</p><p>That hot shooting has to cool down at some point, right? It does not feel like it is going to happen any time soon. Ross keeps so many lineups afloat and teams are going to have to start figuring out how to defend him. Another superb game.</p>
B+. Like Terrence Ross, <a href=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON. B+. Like Nikola Vucevic, <a href=
B. <a href=. G. Orlando Magic. JONATHON SIMMONS
5th East. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS. C. Maybe the Philadelphia 76ers should get a bit of a pass for having an inconsistent offensive effort. They were integrating a pretty new piece in Jimmy Butler and that will take time. Butler seemed to fit in fine scoring 19 points in the game. And then Joel Embiid had a triple-double. <a rel=. 9-7
Next. Orlando Magic must win before tough December. dark
The Orlando Magic continue their homestand Saturday when they take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.