Orlando Magic Grades: Minnesota Timberwolves 120, Orlando Magic 103
The Orlando Magic lost a 19-point lead in the second quarter and could never track down the Minnesota Timberwolves after in a road loss.
Final. 103. 38. 120. 86
Things were coming so easily for the Orlando Magic.
Terrence Ross would come around a screen and fire barely looking at the rim, seeing the ball nestle comfortably in the net. He was not the only one. The Magic were driving into the paint and dishing the ball The Magic scored 40 first-quarter points and it was on the back of an offense that seemingly had no way to stop.
The ball flowed and moved around the perimeter and into the paint with ease. Nothing seemed like it could go wrong.
Of course, the Magic could not shoot 73.9 percent for the entire game. There would be a fall and a team coming back to earth. And even with a nine-point lead, the Minnesota Timberwolves were hanging tough. They shot 60.9 percent in the opening frame themselves.
Neither thing was sustainable.
But the Magic continued to build their lead and grow. It ballooned to 19 points in the second quarter. And that is when the bottom dropped out.
The Magic suddenly went cold, shooting 35.0 percent in the second half with just 11 assists. A team that was reliant on passing and moving the ball could no longer reach the paint and create easy looks. The team’s spark of movement fell to the wayside.
The Timberwolves turned on their defensive jets, scrambling and frustrating the Magic as the ball and player movement stopped. Minnesota kept the offense up, shooting 51.6 percent from the floor.
A killer 44-12 run through the second and third quarters flipped the game completely around. Orlando fell behind by 20 points in a 40-point swing and eventually fell 120-103 at Target Center on Friday.
The Magic went too cold for too long. But more importantly, their defense never really showed up, allowing the Timberwolves to find their groove without much to stop them. And that is ultimately what the team is disappointed most with. They can survive bad shooting nights. But with Jeff Teague, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns gashing the defense. There was no getting the lead back.
<a href=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC. C+
C. <a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS
B-. To drive home the point of the lack of ball movement and player movement for the Orlando Magic in the second half compared to the first half, look no further than <a href=. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON
PG. Orlando Magic. D.J. AUGUSTIN. C. This was a game of a bit of a regression to some of the Orlando Magic’s unfortunate habits. Nikola Vucevic struggled on defense and <a href=
B+. The Minnesota Timberwolves looked as lost as anything on defense during the first quarter. It felt like the Orlando Magic were going to run them out of the gym. The team has had troubles organizing its defense and this looked no different. An inspired Magic bunch had them on the ropes.<p>But Minnesota was able to score from the start of the game. And the Timberwolves kept the offensive pressure up. Eventually, they tightened up their defense. This was a win Minnesota very much earned as the team never lost its composure, even trailing by double digits in the second quarter.</p><p>All the key players had their moments with Jeff Teague (23 points, eight assists, 10-for-12 shooting) leading the way. Karl-Anthony Towns broke through in the second half to score 29 points and grab 15 rebounds. Eventually, Minnesota was just beating Orlando to every loose ball and making plays against a team that was not giving much resistance.</p>. 18-21. 13th West. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
The Orlando Magic’s road trip continues as they head to Los Angeles to wrap up their series with the LA Clippers on Sunday.