The Lead
These last three games have been filled with extreme highs and extreme lows for the Orlando Magic. On Wednesday, they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on a walk-off buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Cole Anthony. On Friday, Malcolm Brogdon sank a go-ahead triple with 2.8 ticks left in overtime to lift the Indiana Pacers over the Magic. Then on Sunday, after Terrence Ross tied the game with a left-corner three with 8.7 seconds remaining, Gordon Hayward connected on a game-winning driving layup with less than a second left in Orlando’s 107-104 loss at Amway Center.
Clutch Moments
The Magic rallied back to tie it in the final seconds after trailing by nine with two minutes and change left. In that stretch, Evan Fournier sank a pair of threes, Nikola Vucevic scored on a putback and Ross hit the tying three after former Magic player Bismack Biyombo missed a pair of free throws. Hayward, who finished with 39 points, was able to elude Fournier off the dribble and scored the game winner over Khem Birch, who flew in from the weak side to try to block it. The Magic were called for a five-second inbound violation on their final possession.
Key Stretch
The Hornets went from trailing by 12 to start the fourth quarter to leading by nine with four minutes left. DeVonte’ Graham, who was ice cold prior to the fourth, scored 12 of his 15 points during that stretch and Hayward had 13 of Charlotte’s final 16 points.
Player Spotlight
Sitting out to rest a sore hip and back was Aaron Gordon, which thrusted Gary Clark Jr. into the starting lineup. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder made the most of the opportunity, scoring 11 of his 14 points in the first half. The Magic need their role players, including Clark, to hit their open outside shots and play stifling defense, which they certainly did on Sunday. Clark, James Ennis III and Jordan Bone combined to make eight of their 13 3-point attempts.
Top Performer
The game’s first bucket was a Vucevic hook shot. Normally, that wouldn’t be that significant. However, in this instance it was, as Orlando’s 7-footer eclipsed 10,000 career points with that basket. It wasn’t his first major statistical accomplishment this season. Earlier in the year, Vucevic became the Magic’s all-time leader in field goals made.
Rookie Watch
Cole Anthony had one of his better all-around performances of his rookie campaign. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound point guard recorded 14 points, five rebounds and six assists. It was his eighth double-digit scoring performance this season. LaMelo Ball, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, posted 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists for the Hornets.
Quote of the Night
“It was mostly on defense. Running back, fouling, rebounding, stuff that you can’t allow. The stuff that makes a huge difference. When you look at the game tonight, that’s really where we lost.” – Fournier
Up Next
The Magic (7-10) and Hornets (7-9) will go at it again at Amway Center when the two return to the parquet floor on Monday at 7 p.m. This is the first of two home back-to-back sets during the first half of the season. The other will come in early February against the Chicago Bulls. The Magic are currently in the midst of playing seven of eight at home with their one road game just a short drive away in Tampa, the Raptors’ temporary home.
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January 25, 2021 at 11:05AM
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Magic Stunned Again, Lose to Hornets on Last-Second Layup | Orlando Magic - OrlandoMagic.com
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