Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 101, Brooklyn Nets 89
Markelle Fultz scored a career-high 25 points and went on a personal 7-0 run in the fourth quarter to lead the Orlando Magic past the Brooklyn Nets.
147. 101. 38. Final. 89
With the score tied at 78 in the fourth quarter, the Orlando Magic needed someone to look to as their second unit got them into a mess. A lead that was once at 16 had disappeared.
The Magic went nearly 10 minutes without a field goal as their 12-point lead slowly dwindled. The lead they had built with a dominant 32-point second quarter gave way to a game that had little energy and little flow.
Someone had to step up and change things.
That player was Markelle Fultz. He went on a personal 7-0 run attacking the basket at will and finishing it off with a corner 3-pointer to give the Magic the cushion they would need.
The Orlando Magic held on for a 101-89 win over the Brooklyn Nets from there, pulling even in the standings for seventh place in the Eastern Conference, ahead on percentage points.
The night did not start out perfectly for Markelle Fultz as his first shot was an airball. But he ignited the Magic offense with nine points in the first four minutes of the game as the Magic burst into an early lead.
For Magic star Nikola Vucevic, it was a bizarre night too. He did not score until midway through the third quarter but finished with an astonishing 24 rebounds. He was eventually able to get some offense together and finished with a double-double with 11 points. Nikola Vucevic tied Markelle Fultz with a team-high +18.
The Magic were mostly good defensively as they contested Nets’ shots and forced point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to 16 points, well below his season average of 22.9 points per game.
Joe Harris would find himself hitting open looks, making five of his six shots in the first half, but Wesley Iwundu led the Magic in plus-minus in the first half at +11, and finished the game with a season-high 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
But the Nets struggled to shoot overall. Brooklyn made only 33.3 percent of its shots and hit only 10 of its 47 3-pointers (21.3 percent). The poor shooting prevented Brooklyn from taking advantage of its offensive rebounds and Orlando’s turnovers (an uncharacteristic 20).
Orlando lost its spark in the third quarter and nearly gave up its lead. In fact, the Magic did give up their lead for a brief moment. Fultz reignited that spark and delivered Orlando a crucial win.
MARKELLE FULTZ. A. Markelle Fultz got the Orlando Magic going. And he was the talisman for the breakthrough the Magic needed for a victory. With his 7-0 run with six minutes left in the game, it sparked the team and showed that his development as a player. The faith coach <a href=. PG. Orlando Magic
B. It was not the best of shooting nights for Nikola Vucevic, but he did just about everything else. He held down Brooklyn Nets center <a rel=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
B-. In <a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. WESLEY IWUNDU
B. If Markelle Fultz was the point guard that got the Orlando Magic going in the first quarter, <a href=. PG. Orlando Magic. D.J. AUGUSTIN
C+. This was not the greatest team that either team have ever played. Coach Steve Clifford said as much after the game bemusing the fact that neither team likely played their best. That is especially from the Brooklyn Nets’ perspective. If the Magic had made more of their open looks, the margin of victory for the Magic would have been wider.<p>Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie were by far the two best players on the court for the Nets, and <a rel=. 16-19. 8th East. BROOKLYN NETS
The Magic improve to 17-20 and come into a virtual tie for seventh in the Eastern Conference with the Nets. Orlando remains one game behind Brooklyn in the loss column.
Next. Jonathan Isaac's injury decreases Orlando Magic's margin for error. dark
The Orlando Magic will host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday hoping for another win against the team from the nation’s capital.