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NBA Recap: Sacramento’s Buddy Hield Drops 29 in Road Win, Orlando’s Khem Birch Achieves New Career High

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Khem Birch (center) and Aaron Gordon (left) apply pressure during their matchup against the Sacramento Kings at Amway Center Wednesday, January 27, 2021. Photo: J. Willie David III/Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — On the back of a positive second game against Charlotte, Orlando Magic hosted the Sacramento Kings at the Amway Center. Both teams are in pursuit of a .500 record with Orlando improving to 8-10 after a six-game skid earlier in the month. The first quarter got off to a positive start for the away team as Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes got hot with a combination of mid-range jumpers and threes.

After their first timeout, the defensive frailties started to shore up for Orlando as they cut the deficit to just six points before Luke Walton called one of his own. While Orlando found moments of inspiration, the lack of press on defense left them susceptible to open shots as Buddy Hield finished the first quarter with 10 points.

The tug and pull at the deficit continued through the second as Fournier and Vucevic were able to find opportunities in transition. But for every quick basket Orlando made, Sacramento were just as quick about getting the ball up field and piling up points in bunches through the paint. The Kings were quicker to mobilize on offense as they finished with five more assists than Orlando and widening the margin between them to 65-50 at halftime.

Both Sacramento guards De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton enjoyed a share of assists and fruitful possession of the ball. For the home team, Orlando suffered from hasty decision making offensively that stifled creativity and made finding open shots difficult from range. The struggles would continue for Orlando into the second half as Aaron Gordon finally got himself on the point sheet after sinking an excellent three point attempt. Up until that point, he had more personal fouls than points that entire stretch on seven field goal attempts.

The ticky tack fouls started to stack up as Dwayne Bacon, Cole Anthony and Aaron Gordon were all subject to small calls in transition of play that slowed down any kind of consistency Orlando were attempting to develop. With just 7:27 left in the third quarter, the Sacramento Kings starters were all in double digits in terms of points as the team effort was demonstrated across the board for the Western Conference side. The wheels started to fall off for the home team shortly after as Hield, Bagley III and De’Aaron Fox were finding the basket seemingly at will.

While Orlando did well to create better opportunities in the second half, the shots weren’t falling nearly as easy as they did against Charlotte last outing. Vucevic and Fournier had a few uncharacteristic misses during the third quarter that culminated in them relying on their bench players to find opportunities. Khem Birch found a way to have a positive outing despite the lack of cohesion from the team as he surpassed his career high in rebounds with 14, and ten of them coming on the offensive side of the ball.

Despite Vucevic and Fournier both finishing with 25+ this game, Buddy Hield took reins as the star of the show in this encounter. With 29 points and seven three-pointers made, he stayed hot throughout the game shooting an astounding 58.8% from the field. Orlando Head Coach Steve Clifford was adamant about the errors that lead to such a lopsided result at home:

“Our biggest problem was transition defense — again. We’ve gotta become more committed in that area. Our two biggest weaknesses this season have been energy and effort. They used to be our strengths but we haven’t been able to get back to making that our strong points.”

Clifford is well aware of the issues that are plaguing this team. While effort and awareness have been lacking in gametime moments for Orlando as of late, it’s clear that the coaching staff aren’t shying away from the defensive issues that are keeping them from being great. While tonight’s offensive showing was an anomaly, the defensive issues are a worrying trend that need to be rectified soon before other Eastern Conference contenders start to develop confidence.

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Nicolas Vera is a Florida National News contributor. | info@floridanationalnews.com

NBA

Orlando Magic Rally Late to Beat Washington Wizards 122-112

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Moritz Wagner dunks the ball in the second quarter for the Orlando Magic during their match against the Washington Wizards at Amway Center Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Photo: Harry Castiblanco/Florida National News.
Moritz Wagner dunks the ball in the second quarter for the Orlando Magic during their match against the Washington Wizards at Amway Center Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Photo: Harry Castiblanco/Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – The Orlando Magic had a lot of ground to make up for at home after their long road run, and the Washington Wizards didn’t make it easy on them–their defense greatly frustrated the Magic.

 

First Half

The Wizards led most of the first quarter, especially since the Magic made none of their three-pointers…until Moritz Wagner came in off the bench with just over two minutes left in the first. With a couple of shots, he switched the lead to Orlando by a single point at the end of the first quarter, 26-25.

Cole Anthony got a nice and-1 after his rebound from a failed Wizard free throw. Bradley Beal fouled him as he ran into the paint, but Anthony’s fadeaway shot was successful as he fell to the floor.

In the second quarter the Wizards regained the lead, but like in the first quarter, the Magic rallied near the end of the quarter. When Gary Harris, Markelle Fultz and the other Wagner, Franz, got back on the court, the Magic began sinking more shots.

Mo Wagner contributed 11 points in the first two quarters, while Franz, Harris and Anthony each followed with 10 points. The Magic also made up for their three-pointer deficit in second quarter. They were seven of 17 (41.2 percent) on threes in the first half compared to the Wizards’ five of 15 (33.3 percent) and were 23 of 43 on field goals (53.5 percent) compared to the Wizards’ 21 of 40 (52.5 percent).

For Washington, Deni Avdija and Monte Morris led the scoring with 12 points each; Kristaps Porzingis followed with 11 points.

The Magic secured a four-point lead heading into halftime, 60-56.

 

Second Half

The Magic ended third quarter one point behind, 88-87.

The Magic brought the fire in the fourth quarter, getting on a run between Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr. and Paolo Banchero, who went to the free throw line three times late in the fourth and nailed every free throw. The highlight play of the second half happened within the final minute of the game: Banchero had pressure on him and made an ugly fadeaway baseline three-pointer…and sank it in.

The most critical hit of all was Bradley Beal fouling out of the game, which dealt a huge blow to the Wizards’ offense in the final stretch. Porzingis tried to pick up the slack, but the Magic saw the blood in the water and piled on the pressure, closing out the game with a 10-point win, 122-112.

For the night, Gary Harris led in scoring for the Magic with 22 points, going six for nine on three pointers and seven for 10 on field goals. Franz Wagner followed with 20 points with four rebounds and six assists. Banchero contributed 18 points and was six of six on free throws. Fultz contributed 17 points with five rebounds and five assists.

For the Wizards, Porzingis led the scoring by far, with 30 total points, six rebounds and three assists. Beal followed with 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com

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Orlando Magic to induct Dennis Scott into their Hall of Fame March 23

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Orlando, FL – The Orlando Magic will induct Dennis Scott into their Hall of Fame on Thursday, March 23 at 3:45 p.m. in Amway Center, near the Nutrilite Magic Fan Experience.** Scott will become the 12th member of the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.

In addition to the induction ceremony, Scott will be honored that night during Orlando’s game vs. New York. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. and tickets are available through OrlandoMagic.com or by calling 1-800-4-NBATIX.

“Dennis (Scott) still remains one of the elite, long-range shooters in both Orlando Magic and NBA history,” said Martins. “His ability to shoot from beyond the three-point arc was a major key to our success during his time in Orlando and his records stand to this day. We are proud to make Dennis the next inductee into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.”

Originally selected in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1990 NBA Draft by Orlando, Scott played seven seasons with the Magic from 1990-97. He played in 446 regular season games (322 starts) with Orlando, averaging 14.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg. and 2.3 apg. in 30.7 minpg., while shooting .403 (981-2,432) from three-point range.

During the 1995-96 campaign, Scott set a then-NBA single season-record with 267 three-pointers made, a standard that lasted for ten years. The 267 three-pointers made remains the franchise record for most made in a season. On April 18, 1996 vs. Atlanta, Scott connected on 11 three-pointers, breaking the then-NBA single game-record, a mark that lasted for almost seven seasons. The 11 three-pointers made also remains the franchise record for most made in a game.

Scott also appeared in 41 playoff games (31 starts) with Orlando, averaging 12.2 ppg., 3.0 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 33.8 minpg., while shooting .364 (92-253) from three-point range. On May 25, 1995 vs. Indiana, he made seven three-pointers during Game #2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, setting a franchise playoff-record that still stands today. Scott helped the Magic reach the 1995 NBA Finals.

Scott remains the Orlando Magic all-time leader in three-pointers made with 981. Entering this season, he also ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in three-point field goals attempted (second, 2,432), field goals attempted (seventh, 5,737), games played (eighth, 446), steals (eighth, 429), points scored (tenth, 6,603), field goals made (tenth, 2,421) and minutes played (tenth, 13,692).

The Orlando Magic unveiled its inaugural Hall of Fame class on April 9, 2014 with the first two inductees, Magic co-founder Pat Williams and the team’s first-ever draft pick and current community ambassador, Nick Anderson. Scott also joins Shaquille O’Neal (2015), the late Rich DeVos (2016), Anfernee Hardaway (2017), Jimmy Hewitt (2017), Tracy McGrady (2018), David Steele (2019), Darrell Armstrong (2020), John Gabriel (2022) and Brian Hill (2022) in the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.

The Orlando Magic Hall of Fame honors and celebrates the great players, coaches and executives who have had a major impact during the team’s illustrious 34-year history. It bridges the past with the future of Magic basketball, and the exhibit, located in Amway Center on the terrace level near Nutrilite Magic Fan Experience, provides Magic fans an opportunity to learn some Magic history while in the building. The inductees are selected based on their overall on and off the court contributions to the team and organization, years of service, impact in the community and general character of the individual.

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Jonathan Isaac to Miss Remainder of 2022-23 Regular Season Due to Another Injury

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FILE - Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac plays during the Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks match at Amway Center Tuesday, February 7, 2023. (Shreyank Tripathi/Florida National News file photo)
FILE - Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac plays during the Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks match at Amway Center Tuesday, February 7, 2023. (Harry Castiblanco/Florida National News file photo)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac underwent surgery on Friday morning to repair a torn left adductor muscle and will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 regular season. An MRI conducted Wednesday revealed the injury, after he felt discomfort following Tuesday’s practice in Milwaukee.

“Our thoughts are with Jonathan, whose fortitude in dealing with adversity is unique,” said Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. “Jonathan has worked extremely hard to return to the court this season and has demonstrated his impact on our team. We will be by his side as he focuses on the work ahead.”

Isaac (6’10”, 230, 10/3/97) played in 11 games this season, averaging 5.0 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.27 stlpg. in 11.3 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft by Orlando, Isaac has appeared in 147 career NBA regular season games (106 starts), all with the Magic, averaging 9.0 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 1.0 apg., 1.43 blkpg. and 1.08 stlpg. in 24.7 minpg. He has also played and started in five career playoff outings, averaging 6.6 ppg., 6.2 rpg. and 1.00 blkpg. in 27.3 minpg.

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