Best Game of 2019
March 22 vs. Grizzlies: 31 points, 10/15 FGs, 8/12 3FGs
The joke that would come up every Dwane Casey came to Orlando since the Orlando Magic acquired Terrence Ross was to ask the now-former Toronto Raptors coach what it was like when Ross scored 52 points. Casey’s response was often to ask how much he scored the next night — the answer is 10.
Ross has not done consistency very well in his time in the NBA. For whatever reason, Ross could never get his timing down right or find a role that allowed him to score and produce at a consistent level. That eventually had him moving to a permanent bench role.
This was really the first time in his career that he provided consistent production for a team. He and the Magic unlocked an important part to his game.
And that is seen nowhere bigger than in his scoring. That 50-point game in his second season stood as his only game scoring 30 points or more. This year he had four such games and 10 games scoring 25 points or more.
That scoring burst that he previewed in that 50-point game was on full display.
There were far too many games where that scoring burst saved the Magic. All three games against the Indiana Pacers came down to the fourth quarter and Ross going on scoring binges to win the game. So too did the win over the Brooklyn Nets or the Utah Jazz.
But the game against the Memphis Grizzlies stands out. Not just because it was one of the most important wins of the year — a 17-point second-half comeback to force overtime and push the team to a perfect 5-0 homestand.
Ross was the catalyst in that game. He was the one who started hitting 3-pointers to stir the crowd and create energy. This was the quintessential Ross game in that way. When Ross got going the rest of the team built up with the energy he created.
The results were magical in that way.
This was not the only time Ross had a game like this. There were plenty of them. But this one was perhaps his best game like this and showed what his spurt could do.