Game review: Magic (23-8) 117, Bucks (12-18) 92
After playing a horribly flat first half and trailing by 9 points at halftime against Milwaukee, the Magic surged tremendously in the second half and could not be stopped, as they shot a spectacular 78.4% in the second half on their way to the blowout victory.
The Magic led 11-10 in the first quarter before the Bucks scored 11 points in a row to go ahead 21-11, and led after one 25-21. Things did not get better for the Magic in the second quarter, as Milwaukee extended their lead to 49-41 going into the half. The Bucks still led 64-56 with 6:41 remaining in the third, but the Magic caught fire, shooting 80% in the third quarter, and outscored the Bucks 23-10 the rest of the third and 38-25 overall to lead going into the fourth 79-74. After the Bucks scored the first 2 points of the fourth, the Magic went on a 14-0 run to put the game away, and outscored the Bucks 38-18 in the fourth. The Magic outscored the Bucks 76-43 in the second half.
Magic leading scorers
Vince Carter: 25 points (10 of 16 FGs), 4 assists, 5 turnovers
Dwight Howard: 17 points (8 of 11 FGs), 10 reboundfs, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Jason Williams (bench): 16 points (5 of 5 3 PT FGs), 7 assists
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 15 points (6 of 11 FGs)
Matt Barnes: 10 points (4 of 6 FGs), 6 rebounds
Overall Game Statistics
FG%: ORL 55.8% (43 of 77) MIL 39.2% (38 of 97)
3 PT FG%: ORL 47.6% (10 of 21) MIL 40.9% (9 of 22)
FT%: ORL 80.8% (21 of 26) MIL 77.8% (7 of 9)
REB: ORL 41 (7 offensive) MIL 39 (18 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 21/14 MIL 17/15
BENCH: ORL 53 MIL 30
Other game notes and stats:
-The Bucks had 4 players in double figures, led by Brandon Jennings with 20 points; C Andrew Bogut had a double/double of 15 points, 10 rebounds
-Matt Barnes started in place of Mickael Pietrus at SF for the Magic
-The Magic shot 14 of 40 in the first half (35%)
-Howard, Marcin Gortat, and Brandon Bass shot a combined 10 of 13 from the field in the first half, the rest of the Magic combined to shoot 4 of 27 before halftime
-The Magic shot just 1 of 9 on threes in the first half, 9 of 12 in the second half
-Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis combined for 12 points overall on 3 of 13 shooting
-Howard and Gortat combined for 26 points on 12 of 17 shooting with 17 rebounds and 4 blocks
-Carter took a nasty fall into the stands in the third quarter, but scored 22 second half points on 9 of 13 shooting
-The Magic bench combined to shoot 18 of 31 from the field
-Only Carter and Lewis played more than 30 minutes for the Magic
-The starting Bucks' backcourt of Jennings and Michael Redd combined to shoot just 10 of 31 from the field
-Ryan Anderson and Anthony Johnson did not see any action for the Magic
-Cleveland is now the number one seed in the East, with the Magic and Boston tied for the second seed 1 1/2 games back
Here is the complete box score and recap from nba.com
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 10:44 PM
10 comments
are 1-0 against the Bucks this season, after they pulled out a 100-98 victory in Milwaukee on November 28. In that contest, Orlando overcame a 17-point deficit, which was capped off by a Rashard Lewis game-winning jumper with 44.7 seconds left. The Magic will attempt to start out with more energy and intensity in this game, because they’re well aware of the challenges that the Bucks present. “That team plays very, very hard and with unbelievable energy,” Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy said after their first meeting. Milwaukee has struggled of late, despite the returns of Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut – two players that missed the last contest against Orlando – from injury. The Bucks have won just one out of their last seven games, a fact that’s not lost on Head Coach Scott Skiles. “We have defensive issues, no question,” Skiles said. “We’re trying to find enough guys that will commit to that and we’ll keep searching until we find it.”
Eastern Conference Semifinals on Christmas at 2:30 p.m. ET. The Magic already proved they could beat the Celtics with or without Kevin Garnett on November 20, when they earned an 83-78 victory in Boston. Orlando’s biggest offseason acquisition Vince Carter poured in a game-high 26 points in that contest, while All-Star forward Rashard Lewis notched 16 points and 10 rebounds. Since that contest, the Celtics have been on a tear. They’ve gone 13-1 in that time frame and currently lead the Eastern Conference with a 22-5 record. Points will once again be at a premium for the Magic as Boston holds its opponents to a league-low 92.0 points per game.
ET. The Rockets have had their share of adversity this year, losing Yao Ming for the season and playing much of it without star Tracy McGrady. McGrady, a former Magic player and cousin of eight-time All-Star Vince Carter, recently made his return to the court on December 15 and is averaging 1.8 points per game in a limited role that has him playing just eight minutes per contest. “I feel good,” McGrady said after Monday’s practice. “I’m very excited to be back. I’m still trying to knock off the rust, but it’s coming.” Orlando will look to reverse its fortune against Houston, who has claimed 12 of the last 14 regular season meetings with the Magic.
Amway Arena. The matchup initially looked to feature two of the league’s best young centers in All-Star Dwight Howard and Portland’s Greg Oden. However, after Oden went down with a season-ending knee injury, the matchup now has a completely different feel. Portland is 3-3 since losing their young big man, including a double-overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Magic will likely look to capitalize on the Trail Blazers’ misfortune and work the ball inside to Howard. With a thinned frontline, it will make it difficult for Portland to consistently foul the Magic’s All-Star center, a tactic that many of Orlando’s opponents have recently employed to force him to shoot free throws rather than attack the rack from the field. Whichever approach Portland decides to take is of no concern to Howard. “I just look at the big picture,” Howard said. “Sometimes it’s tough, but I just have to keep my composure and understand what other teams are trying to do.”
host his Toronto Raptors (11-16, 4-11 road) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. The Magic are 2-0 against the Raptors this season, sweeping the season series at the Air Canada Centre. In both victories, the Magic’s J.J. Redick has played a huge role. After firing off a career-high 27 points while starting in Orlando’s 125-116 triumph on November 1, Redick followed it up with a 19-point showing off the bench in the Magic’s 104-96 win over the Raptors on November 22. “I’ve been around enough that I’m going to play the same way that I always play,” Redick explained. “Whether I start or I come off the bench, I’ll be prepared no matter what.”
After facing the arduous task of attempting to win in Utah the night before, Orlando will have to find a way to defeat Phoenix, the league’s only remaining undefeated team at home, on a back-to-back. The Suns are third in the league in scoring, so the Magic will need to bring their best defensive effort in order to leave Phoenix with a victory. “The problem with Phoenix is they create so many problems, particularly in their pick-and-roll game with (Steve) Nash and (Amar’e) Stoudemire, and then they put shooting around them,” Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy explained following their first matchup with the Suns this season. "You can be playing pretty good defense and look pretty bad at times." In their first matchup with the Suns this season, Orlando rolled to a 122-100 home victory, courtesy of a big night from Dwight Howard. The Magic’s All-Star center erupted for 17 of his team-high 25 points in the third quarter to help Orlando pull away for good. The Magic will once again need a dominant performance from Howard in order to help them exploit Phoenix’s lack of interior size.
have won seven out of their last 11 games, including five straight at home. While Utah has struggled the past few seasons away from the confines of EnergySolutions Arena, the Jazz are known as one of the toughest home opponents in the NBA. Over the past two seasons, Utah has compiled a 71-12 record at home, while going just 32-51 on the road. “Easy, Utah,” Magic big man Brandon Bass said without hesitation when asked of the toughest place to play in the NBA. “With the crowd and the altitude, it’s tough.”
10:30 p.m. ET. The Magic will attempt to notch their eighth straight road win, which will set a franchise record for most consecutive victories away from home in one season. Owners of the second-best road record in the NBA, the Magic are 9-2 this season away from Amway Arena, demonstrating that they’re equally as effective on the road as they are in the comforts of home. “We like playing on the road and like the atmosphere that the road brings us,” Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard explained. “We feed off the energy of knowing that we have to go into somebody else’s building and quiet that crowd and get the win.” In addition to setting a franchise mark as a result of their road success, the Magic will also have the opportunity to jump out to their best start in franchise history. Currently 16-4, the Magic can match the best start in team history after 21 games with a victory over the Clippers. Only twice before (1994-95 and 1995-96) has the team opened up 17-4 and never in its 21-year history has Orlando started off the season 18-4.
the Golden State Warriors (6-12) at 10:30 p.m. ET. The Magic swept the Warriors in their two meetings last season and have won 13 of their last 19 matchups overall. As in years past, offensive production hasn’t been a problem for Golden State. The Warriors are currently third in the league, averaging 109.4 points per game. Monta Ellis has set the tone for their offense over the past five games, erupting for 28.8 ppg. However, the Warriors are still in need of immense improvement on the defensive end. Golden State is currently giving up an NBA-worst 113.6 points per contest, while allowing opponents to shoot over 50 percent from the field. While the Magic shouldn’t have any problems on the offensive end, they’ll need to be at peak defensive efficiency in order to leave Golden State with a victory. If their last three games have been any indication, Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy is pleased with the direction Orlando’s defense is headed. “I thought we’ve worked very hard,” Van Gundy explained. “All three nights our defense got better as the night went on.”
swing with the New York Knicks (4-14) at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Amway Arena. In their only meeting this season, Orlando defeated New York, 114-102, courtesy of a balanced offensive attack led by Magic All-Star forward Rashard Lewis. Lewis had his best offensive performance of the season, firing off a team-high 26 points. Dwight Howard also got in on the act, posting 24 points and 16 rebounds, while Vince Carter poured in 23 points. “I think Rashard, the way he plays, it just helps all of us out,” Howard explained. “The way he shoots the ball, when he drives, his defense, all that stuff, it helps us out and we missed that for the first 10 games.” While the Magic left New York with a win on Sunday, completing a perfect three-game road swing, they’re fully aware that they’ll have to make a number of improvements in order to pull off the same feat in Orlando on Wednesday. Tasks No. 1 and 2: Find a way to limit Nate Robinson, who erupted for 22 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter against the Magic, and figure out a solution to defending New York’s pick and rolls. “Nate did an excellent job of coming in the game and making some offense for their team,” Howard said of Robinson’s fourth-quarter effort. 
