On the second game of their home stand, the Orlando Magic welcomed the Chicago Bulls to the Amway Center. Riding a four-game losing streak, the Magic were 3.5 point underdogs against the Eastern Conference’s best team. Due to injuries racking up for the Bulls, the Magic entered the game with a much healthier team and starting lineup, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
Recap
The Magic were all over the Bulls in the first half of action. Holding Chicago to 37 points at the break, Orlando carried a massive 16 point lead into halftime. The second half was more of the same. Outscoring the Bulls 61-58 in the second half, the Magic secured a dominant home win, 114-95.
Not only did Orlando play smothering defense against one of the best offenses in the NBA, but they also shot the lights out all night long. Chicago shot 43.4% from the field, and Orlando connected on 52.5% of their field goals. The home team’s defense also showed up in the final box score; the Magic forced seven steals and swatted eight shots. On top of this, Orlando forced 21 turnovers in a monsterous defensive performance.
Led by a 23-point explosion from Mo Wagner off the bench, Orlando completely bamboozled the Bulls from the tip. Jalen Suggs continued his impressive play since returning from injury, and Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.
On a night when the Magic weathered 41 points from future All-Star DeMar DeRozan, Orlando out-assisted Chicago 31-10. Any time there is that level of disparity in unselfishness, blowouts are bound to happen. That was the case.
Up Next
Winning their ninth game of the season, the Magic will look to build on this momentum as they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, January 26.