The top 10 games of the Orlando Magic’s 2021 season

Top 10 Orlando Magic Games of 2021 Season

9. Nikola Vucevic’s star turn (again) — vs. Chicago Bulls (Feb. 5)

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Nikola Vucevic is in the background no more

Bring up the fact that Nikola Vucevic is a two-time All-Star and there will still be some questions about its legitimacy. People still are not wholly aware of just how good Vucevic is.

Some of that is he is toiling in Orlando, which even when competitive can still fly under the radar. Some of it is that he is not a flashy player. Vucevic is fine setting screens and popping out to the 3-point line. You will not find many highlights when it comes to Vucevic. That just is not his game.

Still, he sometimes comes out with a game that demands notice. And he had several of those throughout the course of the 2021 season. Vucevic was about the only positive thing to come out of the season before the trade deadline. He was the only thing keeping the team remotely competitive.

When a player becomes an All-Star, the next question is how they take their game to the next level. People believed Vucevic had a weaker 2020 season even though his numbers were essentially the same as 2019. Vucevic took his game to another level in the 2021 season then.

The win over the Chicago Bulls was the biggest sign of this. He scored 43 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, dominating the game. The Magic raced ahead to a big lead before Zach LaVine led a crazed comeback to get the Bulls within a few points.

Vucevic though had some big moments at the end to close the game out. And this was a performance that locked in his spot on the All-Star team.