The Magic never ceases to impress… Beaten by the Jazz the day before and still handicapped by a list of injuries as long as an arm, Orlando found the resources to win at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks as for them deprived of Karl-Anthony Towns.
From the start of the match, we felt that Tom Thibodeau’s men were going to struggle to break away from this sticky team, extraordinarily organized and aggressive in defense and perfectly oiled in attack. After starting at 0/5 shooting, Jalen Brunson tried to create a first gap by aligning a 4/4 concluded with a 2+1 to put his team in the lead after 12 minutes (28-24). But it didn’t take long for Orlando to spoil the party for good. All the usual “role players” were able to raise their voices to complicate the task of the locals.
Jonathan Isaac, Wendell Carter Jr and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope began to take turns scoring before seeing Cole Anthony and Jett Howard take over, the latter putting Orlando in the lead twice, in the middle of the quarter (41 -42) then on a 3-pointer just before the break (51-53).
Cole Anthony at home
The Knicks were warned, but what happened next confirmed the trend in favor of the Magic. A native of New York, Cole Anthony allowed the Floridians to take the lead from the restart, with three baskets including two arrows behind the arc and a decisive pass for Tristan Da Silva to increase the pressure on NYC (57-69). In turn, Jalen Brunson tried to restart the machine with two baskets in a row after being stunned by a “small” involuntary slap from Goga Bitadze. But the damage was already done.
The 3-pointers from Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr at the end of the third quarter confirmed Jamahl Mosley’s men in their ability to win this match (68-75). The Magic managed to stick to their game plan until the end, keeping the same defensive intensity and finding confident shooters to stay on course, like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s outside shots at 24-second buzzer, then Wendell Carter Jr and finally Cole Anthony to finish off the last opposing hopes (86-98). With this 103-94 success on hostile terrain, Orlando puts the pressure back on the Knicks in the race for the Top 3 in the East!
WHAT TO REMEMBER
Magic not in trend... But in the right direction! At a time when debates are flourishing on the stereotypical game of NBA Basketball, Orlando has stood out in the landscape of the league since the takeover of Jamahl Mosley, who succeeded in establishing a real playing identity and a stated philosophy, based primarily on defense. The least prolific attack in the league, the Magic nonetheless remains an explosive cocktail for those who dare to mess with them. The impressive number of currently injured players confirms the rest of the group and its coach in the success of this art of counter-attack and the mastery of the collective project by all the players, especially since the team has been winning much more regularly since a year and a half. Tonight’s victory after holding NYC to 94 points (and 18.2% 3-point shooting) is just one more witness.
The evening of Wendell Carter Jr. The many absentees also allow others to show that they have the level to do more than be of service. In turn, the different players manage to show themselves, as was the case for Jalen Suggs before his injury, Cole Anthony more recently in the buzzer-beating victory against Brooklyn, Anthony Black, Tristan Da Silva and Goga Bitadze. This night, it was Wendell Carter Jr who came out of Coach Mosley’s sleeve. Station 4 produced a perfect copy of 19 points at 3/3 at 3-points, he who posted a sad 8/50 in the exercise before the meeting, i.e. 16% success! The perfect X factor…
Hello from son Anthony. Symbol of these players who are usually “second knives” when Suggs, Wagner and other Bancheros are on duty, Cole Anthony was happy to shine in the land of the first exploits of his father, Greg. The leader had one of his best matches of the season on a court that he visibly seems to appreciate. Author of 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, he was a constant benchmark in the commando mission of the Floridians, as in October 2021, when he distinguished himself by fetching… 16 rebounds, his career record which stands ever since.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
