Turkoglu's last-second three lifts Magic to dramatic win over Portland
Portland had their largest lead at 108-100 with 2:21 remaining, as the Magic seemed destined to lose this game. The unthinkable then happened, as the Magic held Portland scoreless the rest of the way as the Blazers missed on four shot attempts as Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu all hit three point shots; Turkoglu's came with 0.3 seconds remaining to give the Magic a dramatic 109-108 victory.
Prior to the fourth quarter, the Magic had the lead throughout the game as they held a one point lead at the half 49-48 and extended their lead to 81-73 in the third before entering the fourth with a 81-80 lead.
Magic leading scorers
Rashard Lewis: 27 points (9 of 16 field goals, 6 of 9 three point field goals), 9 rebounds
Hedo Turkoglu: 24 points (8 of 16 field goals), 5 assists
Jameer Nelson: 21 points (8 of 16 field goals), 6 assists, 3 steals
Dwight Howard: 14 points (5 of 11 field goals), 7 rebounds
Portland leading scorers
Brandon Roy: 30 points
Lionel Aldridge: 25 points, 13 rebounds
Overall Game Statistics
FG%: POR 51.9% (40 of 77) ORL 50.6% (39 of 77)
3 PT FG%: ORL 51.9% (14 of 27) POR 26.3% (5 of 19)
FT%: POR 82.1% (23 of 28) ORL 70.8% (17 of 24)
REB: POR 44 (11 offensive) ORL 29 (5 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 26/7 POR 24/12
BENCH: POR 45 ORL 18
Other game notes and stats:
-The Blazers had a better shooting percentage from the field, the free throw line, outrebounded the Magic, and the Blazers bench significantly outscored the Magic bench
-The Magic still outscored the Blazers from the field 92-85, thanks to 14 three point field goals, and also had a superb assist/turnover ratio
-Nelson, Turkoglu, and Lewis all made up for a sub-par night from Dwight Howard as the three combined for 72 points
-Turkoglu and Lewis, after struggling the past few games, combined for 51 points on 17 of 32 field goal shooting, 8 of 14 three point shooting, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and just one turnover
-The Magic starting frontcourt outscored the Blazers starting frontcourt 65-27
-Blazers C Greg Oden had more fouls (4) than points (2) and rebounds (1) combined
-Lee, Battie, Johnson, and Cook all saw action off the bench
-Four Blazers in reserve scored in double figures
-Howard scored just 5 points after the 5:30 mark of the first quarter
-For the first time all year, the Magic did not block any shots
-Magic shot 13 of 14 from the free throw line without Howard's 4 of 10 free throw shooting
For the complete box score, click here
Prior to the fourth quarter, the Magic had the lead throughout the game as they held a one point lead at the half 49-48 and extended their lead to 81-73 in the third before entering the fourth with a 81-80 lead.
Magic leading scorers
Rashard Lewis: 27 points (9 of 16 field goals, 6 of 9 three point field goals), 9 rebounds
Hedo Turkoglu: 24 points (8 of 16 field goals), 5 assists
Jameer Nelson: 21 points (8 of 16 field goals), 6 assists, 3 steals
Dwight Howard: 14 points (5 of 11 field goals), 7 rebounds
Portland leading scorers
Brandon Roy: 30 points
Lionel Aldridge: 25 points, 13 rebounds
Overall Game Statistics
FG%: POR 51.9% (40 of 77) ORL 50.6% (39 of 77)
3 PT FG%: ORL 51.9% (14 of 27) POR 26.3% (5 of 19)
FT%: POR 82.1% (23 of 28) ORL 70.8% (17 of 24)
REB: POR 44 (11 offensive) ORL 29 (5 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 26/7 POR 24/12
BENCH: POR 45 ORL 18
Other game notes and stats:
-The Blazers had a better shooting percentage from the field, the free throw line, outrebounded the Magic, and the Blazers bench significantly outscored the Magic bench
-The Magic still outscored the Blazers from the field 92-85, thanks to 14 three point field goals, and also had a superb assist/turnover ratio
-Nelson, Turkoglu, and Lewis all made up for a sub-par night from Dwight Howard as the three combined for 72 points
-Turkoglu and Lewis, after struggling the past few games, combined for 51 points on 17 of 32 field goal shooting, 8 of 14 three point shooting, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and just one turnover
-The Magic starting frontcourt outscored the Blazers starting frontcourt 65-27
-Blazers C Greg Oden had more fouls (4) than points (2) and rebounds (1) combined
-Lee, Battie, Johnson, and Cook all saw action off the bench
-Four Blazers in reserve scored in double figures
-Howard scored just 5 points after the 5:30 mark of the first quarter
-For the first time all year, the Magic did not block any shots
-Magic shot 13 of 14 from the free throw line without Howard's 4 of 10 free throw shooting
For the complete box score, click here
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 1:49 AM
7 Comments:
At 4:33 AM,
Mike from Illinois said…
If someone had told me before the game that a) Portland would shoot 52% from the field; b) Portland would shoot 82% from the free throw line; c) Portland would outrebound the Magic 44 to 29; d) Portland's bench would outscore the Magic bench 45-18; and e) Dwight Howard would struggle through a 14 point, 7 rebound night, I would have though... wow... the Magic are probably gonna lose this game by at least 20 points!
Well, when you make 14 three point field goals, and have an outstanding 26/7 assist/turnover ratio, along with three players scoring more than 20 points, like the Magic did, that will lead to victory almost every time no matter the circumstances.
A fantastic road win against a team that was unbeaten at home; hopefully this will garner the Magic a little more respect from the critics who say the Magic have played too soft a schedule.
It's great to have a healthy Jameer Nelson back in the lineup; what a stat line he head... 21 points on 50% shooting, along with 3 steals and an outstanding 6 to 1 assist/turnover ratio.
Granted, the Magic may have been a little lucky to win the game. They're not going to be able to hit more than half of their three point field goals every game like they did against Portland; but all teams need a certain amount of luck to win a tough road game against a tough team like Portland, and the Magic never gave up despite falling behind by eight points late in the game.
At 10:37 AM,
WeRDevos said…
FROM ESPN:
"That was just brilliant, brilliant coaching down the stretch," said Van Gundy. "That is exactly the play we drew up, and we told him to shoot it off the glass if he could get the angle on it. That's exactly what we wanted, so I have to give myself all the credit."
At 10:54 AM,
WeRDevos said…
17-5 this year vs. 16-6 during last years brilliant start. Last year had many fewer injuries. Pretty darn good. Howard is unbelievable and a legit MVP candidate. Turk and Lewis look really comfortable in their roles this year.
Is it just me, or does this year seem like there are fewer good teams?
There are really only 3 good teams in the East. The paper promise of Toronto and Philadelphia have turned into disaster. The AI trade and rookie coach is sinking Detroit. It's great to see Chauncey Billups move West.
Only ATL has stepped up and improved from last year.
Even though we are only a quarter through the season everything seems to be falling into place for a Magic run deep into the playoffs. The only thing left to happen is an injury to one of the Celtics big-3 30+ year old players.
I'm really starting to believe that the Magic are set to make a run for the championship.
At 12:52 PM,
Big Figure said…
WOW! I dont usually get excited about regular season wins but what a finish. I dont think it was a matter of luck really,i think it was more a quick adjustment by SVG to trap BR out high (portland with very little time left in the game didnt make an adjustment)that made the difference because we couldnt get stops in man-to-man. Jameer,hedo and rashard hitting three's down the stretch was due to bad perimeter defense by portland,we were able to stop them by trapping with very little time left which lead to them not being able to set their defense. SVG made a statement after the game basically saying he shouldve done it 4 mins earlier but whatever the case we got out of there with the win. After the way they beat us on our floor it feels really good to pay them back in that type of fashion.
At 4:03 PM,
OVERWADED said…
Van Gundy is a funny guy! And the best coach Orlando has ever had...
I don't know if this was mentioned, but Howard was playing hurt from the middle of the 1st quarter on... They called it a "strained oblique". I read somewhere else that Portland defended Howard well, but all anyone had to do was watch Dwight to know something was wrong. It was obvious he wasn't himself. He didn't want to jump or extend. 7 rebounds, 0 blocks says it all... Hopefully he recovers quickly.
With that said, it says something about this team. To throw punches, comeback on the road, with Howard not nearly his best, against a good basketball team, in a hostile arena...
It was just a great basketball game, and a hell of a win for the Magic.
Right now, there are only 3 legit teams in the East. Kind of sad though, Orlando is never mentioned in the same breath as Boston or Cleveland. I understand if we’re not considered on Boston’s level, but the fact that Cleveland gets so much love pisses me off.
Actually, what really pisses me off is how Wade is being mentioned for MVP more than Howard. I get it, he’s healthy, he’s scoring, he’s playing well... But Orlando’s record is better, and Howard continues to put up numbers that the NBA hasn’t seen in years, if not decades. Not to take anything away from Wade, but his scoring doesn’t compare to what Howard is doing for our team, as he changes the game on both ends of the floor.
At 6:48 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
As much as I admire and respect DWade as a player, I believe you're right about Howard being a more deserving MVP candidate, OVERWADED. Even though Miami is much-improved over last year, the Magic are the team that's in first in the SE and they have proven themselves to be a legit Eastern Conference powerhouse after an alarming 0-2 start.
I should have mentioned in my recap about Howard's oblique injury from the game last night. It no doubt had an effect on his play, as OVERWADED mentioned.
Some experts were also touting Chris Bosh as a possible MVP candidate earlier, but with Toronto being several games under .500, there's no way Bosh is remotely close to being an MVP candidate.
The Cavs have set an NBA record for the most consecutive wins in double figures (9 games now), but all those wins except one came against teams with losing records.
That being said, I think the Cavs made a good move obtaining Mo Williams in the off-season, and players like Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao are having very good years, with good chemistry overall on the team.
Mark it down... January 29th... the first meeting of the Cavs and Magic this season, and it's in Orlando.
Boston may be even a little better than last season, but as WeRDevos mentioned, one injury to any of their "Big Three" would change all that.
At 5:35 AM,
OVERWADED said…
As I was watching the Cavs game tonight, I to looked up the date when the Magic would be playing them. I was hoping it'd be sooner than the end of January, as I think we're a better team. The Cavs might have the best player at this point, but I believe the Magic have the superior team.
With that said... The Cavs get way more "love" than the Magic.
Honestly, among winning teams, the Magic get the least credit of them all.
It's all good though... I think our team plays well with a "chip on their shoulders".
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