Saying Magic that he has character and resilience is starting to sound like an understatement. After having turned his back during the absences of Paolo Banchero then Franz Wagner without having a series of setbacks, Orlando remains dogged by misfortune with a cascade of glitches of all kinds.
Against Philadelphia on Sunday evening, this was once again the case, with a squad reduced to eight players including Paolo Banchero who was still limited in playing time – and who had to exceed this limit – to finish the match. This did not prevent the Floridians from dominating the Sixers in money time.
Imagine having to deal with a team reduced almost to its bare minimum? This is the scenario that Jamahl Mosley, the Magic coach, has been juggling with for weeks. And if he had any left, he would have had to pull his hair out on Sunday as everything seemed to be going against his team. The list of absentees is dizzying:
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Gary Harris
- Jett Howard
- Jalen Suggs
- Franz Wagner
- Mo Wagner
And to these first six names were added Tristan Da Silva, who only played 61 seconds before returning to the locker room, ill, then Goga Bitadze, injured in the hip in the second quarter.
“One of the most impressive victories”
That’s a total of five of the six most playing time in the squad, and Mo Wagner, the offensive spark coming off the bench during the first third of the season, for a total of 190 minutes of play on average since the start of season ! “ It makes me think of my rookie season, everyone absent, sick or otherwise with Covid, really » recalled Cole Anthony, his team’s top scorer with 27 points.
A rarely seen massacre. But that did not make a Magic team give up for whom the “next man available” mentality is not just an element of language.
« We are a team that is hungry, that fights » welcomed Jonathan Isaac. “ We’re missing some guys, but we’re finding ways to win night after night. »
« It’s probably one of the most impressive victories we’ve had this season. » confirmed Jamahl Mosley at a press conference. “ And like I said in the locker room, it’s all about guts. We never give up. No matter what happens during the match, we don’t give up on the action, the fight, we continue to make the right choices. »
There would have been something, however, after the surprising exit of rookie Tristan Da Silva just one minute after kick-off. “ This threw a lot of my plans into the trash » Jamahl Mosley readily admitted. So the Magic technician adapted as best he could, relying on all his possible resources.
Anthony Black replaced Tristan Da Silva numerically, for one of his best games of the season (17 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) and a career record for minutes broken (nearly 38 minutes). Trevelin Queen, a two-way contract player, played 31 minutes off the bench, including the entire fourth quarter where he was crucial with two dunks, one of which was a superb tap.
First double-double in five years for Isaac
And very diminished under the circle without Goga Bitadze, Jonathan Isaac played the substitution pivots brilliantly, flying through the last quarter with 13 points and 7 rebounds alone. The former injured Magic major finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes, his first double-double since December 15, 2019! “ If I think too hard about what I’ve been through, I’ll start crying » he smiled, visibly moved and proud.
« Everyone stepped up a notch in their own way“, rejoiced Jamahl Mosley. “ Whether it was defensively and I’m so proud of the way they continued to defend. Everyone who was available played and contributed. This is what this band has become, this is the identity of where they are. »
« It was the ultimate collective effort » summarized Cole Anthony. An effort to be repeated on Wednesday in Milwaukee, a direct competitor to the Top 4 in the East to which the Magic is clinging despite the circumstances.
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | To | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Fte | Pts |
| Paolo Banchero | 7 | 33.7 | 50.8 | 40.5 | 67.5 | 2.0 | 6.4 | 8.4 | 5.3 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 28.4 |
| Franz Wagner | 26 | 31.9 | 46.5 | 32.1 | 88.1 | 0.9 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 23.5 |
| Jalen Suggs | 34 | 29.0 | 41.0 | 31.2 | 90.7 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 16.4 |
| Moe Wagner | 30 | 18.8 | 56.2 | 36.0 | 71.8 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 12.9 |
| Goga Bitadze | 36 | 24.6 | 61.9 | 10.5 | 68.0 | 2.8 | 5.4 | 8.2 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 9.6 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-pope | 39 | 30.5 | 41.9 | 31.9 | 92.3 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 9.1 |
| Tristan Da Silva | 37 | 25.6 | 41.9 | 31.5 | 81.6 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 8.8 |
| Anthony Black | 37 | 23.9 | 40.8 | 25.3 | 74.8 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 8.8 |
| Wendell Carter, Jr. | 28 | 24.4 | 45.8 | 18.3 | 68.5 | 1.5 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 8.0 |
| Cole Anthony | 38 | 15.2 | 40.0 | 30.3 | 75.4 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 7.9 |
| Jonathan Isaac | 35 | 17.1 | 41.9 | 26.1 | 67.9 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 6.3 |
| Trevelin Queen | 14 | 15.9 | 40.7 | 37.5 | 87.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 4.8 |
| Jett Howard | 37 | 11.2 | 38.1 | 30.7 | 87.5 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 4.6 |
| Gary Harris | 20 | 16.3 | 40.3 | 35.2 | 50.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 4.1 |
| Caleb Houstan | 28 | 11.1 | 33.3 | 32.3 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 2.8 |
| Cory Joseph | 24 | 7.3 | 35.3 | 37.1 | 50.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.1 |
| Mac Mcclung | 1 | 4.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
