Orlando

A Balanced Raptors Effort Keeps Their Lead In The East

Published

8 years ago

February 28, 2018

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points and the Toronto Raptors had 6 players score in double figures as they take down the Orlando Magic by the score of 117-104. Evan though DeRozan had 19 of the 21 points through the opening 3 quarters it was the Raptors young bench that stole the story in the final quarter.

Led by Pascal Siakam (10 points in the fourth quarter), the bench scored 22 of the teams 27 points in the final 12 minutes. Siakam, Fred VanVleet and Jakob Poeltl played the entire fourth quarter and the Raptors All-Star backcourt of DeRozan and Kyle Lowry didn’t enter the game until midway through the quarter. Siakam scored 10 points and most them were either on dunks or layups.

“He’s has one of them vibes that is always positive and upbeat and very vibrant. He carries that energy over to the court as well and you love it.” – DeMar DeRozan on Pascal Siakam’s energy and comparison to Golden State’s Draymond Green

Lowry finished the game with 17 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in his 33 minutes on the court. Poeltl had 13 points and VanVleet had 12 points off the bench for Toronto.

After having a hot shooting start to the game, the Magic went completely cold late in the game. They missed 12 of their 16 shots taken in the quarter and the team couldn’t stop turning the ball over as they committed five turnovers.

“We didn’t make shots. I wasn’t completely unhappy with our decisions; I think we got a lot of good looks both at the rim and on the perimeter. We made some transitions plays and we had some breakdowns in the half-court. Defensively is where the game was lost and the entire night. We are doing some really positive things on the offensive end, but we don’t show enough resistance in the paint keeping our man in front of us, and it cost us.”- Orlando Magic Head Coach Frank Vogel on his team closing out in the fourth quarter

This was a sharp contrast to the opening quarter, in which Orlando looked like they were going to make every shot. The Magic hit 16 of their 21 attempted shots and knocked down five three-pointers, but they still trailed by five at the end of the first quarter.

Even though they lost the game, the Magic had a balanced scoring attack. They were led by Mario Hezonja and Evan Fournier, who both scored 17 points, and Aaron Gordon who had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Magic’s next game is at home on Friday Night against a familiar face to Magic fans in Detroit with their Head Coach Stan Van Gundy. The game starts at 7pm.

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Danny Thompson is a sports contributor for Florida National News. | info@floridanationalnews.com

Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Published

1 year ago

October 30, 2024

Mike Brodsky

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.