Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 103, Chicago Bulls 95
The Orlando Magic buckled down defensively and found the second effort to defeat the Chicago Bulls and take home an important win into the holidays.
98. 24. 103. 38. Final
The kind of effort it will take for the Orlando Magic to rediscover their identity is the kind of effort Aaron Gordon gave throughout the game. The kind of effort the Magic have sometimes struggled to find. But the most important thing for a team trying to cut a defensive identity.
Second efforts are the key to any success. Even after mistakes. Especially after mistakes.
Aaron Gordon made a mistake, turning the ball over and giving a free lane for the Chicago Bulls to get out on the break. It should have been an easy two points for the Bulls. But Gordon was on the chase.
Thaddeus Young should have had a dunk. But Gordon chased him down and blocked the shot. It was not the last time he would do that.
And that little bit of extra effort is the difference for the team. Suddenly, the Magic had a flow and energy. They were chasing the Bulls and forcing them to take a step and to take a stop. That little bit of doubt is where a good defense can live.
Finally, the Magic looked like themselves. Or how they are supposed to look.
Taking the lead early in the third quarter, the Magic never let go. Yes, the offense never quite enabled the team to pull away, but the Bulls never made the real push to take the game back.
It was one last extra effort — Aaron Gordon chasing an offensive rebound from a Nikola Vucevic miss and sending it back in with a thunderous one-handed jam — that sealed the deal in a 103-95 win over the Bulls at the Amway Center.
It still took a while to get there even if the effort was there. The Magic turned the ball over a ton early in the game, feeding the Bulls fast break. The Magic’s communication was poor and Chicago tore it up.
Then the Bulls hit six 3-pointers in the second quarter to stay in the game. The Magic were giving fairly token pressure but not really doing much to disrupt the Bulls’ rhythm.
That changed in the second half. Orlando was more locked in defensively and limited turnovers and the opportunity for Chicago to get easy points. The Magic were hardly perfect, but scrambled well and made shots difficult.
That is the crux of Magic basketball when this team is working well. And Orlando found its bread and butter offensively more and more.
The Magic needed to feel good after that rough road trip heading into the Christmas break, they got it for sure.
The Orlando Magic have not had enough games where <a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS. A-
<p>Aaron Gordon remains the heartbeat for the Orlando Magic for better or worse. He is someone that can take the Magic out of their offense or he is the piece that makes the team really unique and work extremely well. Gordon just have to have the right mindset with his attack.</p><p>Gordon then was a mixed bag. He definitely overdribbled and tried to do too much off the dribble at times. He made mistakes and turnovers and missed shots — he was 6 for 14 for the game. His 16 points and 1-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc are not anything to write home about.</p><p>But he made up this gap with a really solid and energetic defensive performance. That energy poured through the rest of the team. He finished with 11 rebounds and three blocks. Gordon was good defensively but was even better in recovery. The Magic let that carry them to a win.</p>. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON. B+
B+. At the end of the game, the Orlando Magic knew they needed points and easy points at that. Their best answer was to feed <a href=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
B. <a href=. F. Orlando Magic. JONATHAN ISAAC
12-20. 10th East. CHICAGO BULLS. B-. The Chicago Bulls are not the chaotic team that the early season made them out to be. Jim Boylan deserves credit for instilling a defensive identity in this team. To some extent, the trade-off he made was to let them freelance a bit more offensively. The Bulls are more than willing to shoot.<p>But the ball pressure the Bulls try to put on teams gets them in trouble. The Magic were able to figure it out once they showed some kind of discipline, they were able to break this team down. And once Orlando locked down the 3-point line, the Bulls really struggled to find consistent options.</p><p>Orlando showed good patience and poise throughout the second half to break the team down and withstand any brief shooting burst. The Bulls really did not have a secondary answer. And while this team is talented and playing well, that might say a lot.</p>
Next. Orlando Magic aim to take control of their defense. dark
The Orlando Magic are 13-17 and eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They return to action Friday at home against the Philadephia 76ers.