The Orlando Magic got a triple-double from Aaron Gordon and a stellar offensive performance yet again to pick up a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Aaron Gordon already had his triple-double, adding flourish for his 11th assist finding Terrence Ross cutting along the baseline for a dunk. The Orlando Magic were holding on though, trying to stave off a hot-shooting Minnesota Timberwolves team. With D’Angelo Russell’s history of destroying the Magic late in games, things were not safe.
Minnesota was eviscerating Orlando’s defense. And the Magic are never quite sure how long their offense will last.
Malik Beasley was doing his best too. And he saw a lane toward the rim, driving left and he went for it.
Aaron Gordon had one more flourish to the game, putting a stamp on a career night. He met Beasley at the rim and blocked the one-handed jam attempt.
Suddenly the Magic were off and running with Beasley still trying to find the car that hit him mid-air beneath the basket. Nikola Vucevic ran straight for the rim and received a pass to finish and put the Magic up eight.
Orlando would have enough from there, finally slowing down Minnesota’s 3-point attack and containing Russell. The Magic picked up their third straight win, defeating the Timberwolves 136-125 at the Amway Center on Friday.
Gordon set the tone with his triple-double line of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. But it was Terrence Ross making sure the Magic pulled away for the lead.
He scored 19 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter. He had his shot going as he came around screens for mid-range jumpers and attacked the basket. His spot-up 3-pointers worked perfectly throughout the evening.
The Magic had their offense working all night long, finishing shooting 54.1 percent, even though they hit only 30-percent of their 40 3-point attempts. Orlando had its offense moving inside-out with ease and scoring almost at will. The Timberwolves did very little to stop the Magic throughout the game.
Orlando simply could not get many stops against Minnesota.
Russell scored 28 points and seemingly got whatever shot he wanted. The Magic’s pick-and-roll defense especially struggled to contain him and opened things up for the Timberwolves’ shooters.
Orlando forced its share of turnovers and scored off them. But the defense was largely too loose throughout the night. And the Magic fouled a ton too, allowing the Timberwolves to hang around.
But the bench units for Orlando proved the difference. With Russell off the floor, Minnesota lacked much of its offensive creation. And when the Magic turned to a zone defense in the third quarter, they shut off much of the drives that gave Minnesota its offensive potency.
Making shots can cover up a lot of flaws. It also is what allows teams to win and stay in control.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves definitely did not go without a fight. They were going to come out swinging and firing 3-pointers and certainly made it a game against the Orlando Magic. D’Angelo Russell was nearly unstoppable with 28 points on 5-for-11 3-point shooting as he continually camped out in the paint off pick and rolls. They got help too from several players, including James Johnson’s 17 points off the bench.
Minnesota could shoot it. But turnovers — 15 turnovers for 18 Orlando points — and rebounding proved the difference. The Wolves gave up 10 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points. Essentially, the Magic score off every offensive rebound. That is an incredible rate and that was enough for Orlando to get separation.
Ultimately, Minnesota did not have the depth or the consistent firepower to keep up with an Orlando team that was getting whatever shot it wanted all night long. The Timberwolves were unable to get stops consistently. Really the only defense Minnesota had was Orlando’s own sloppiness.