The Orlando Magic got it done in a thrilling overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-111. It ended a nine-game losing streak and it was the first time the Magic defeated the Clippers in Orlando since 2013. It is also Orlando’s fifth win at home out of their now-six victories, showing the impact playing in Central Florida has for this team.
Orlando found themselves down big, 32-14, at the end of the first quarter. Slowly and methodically, they worked back and were able to get a victory against a tough western conference opponent.
Paolo Continues to be Paolo with Some Help Too
The Magic’s rookie of the year candidate, Paolo Banchero, continued his great rookie season by putting on a show Wednesday night. He finished with 23 points and five rebounds. The 6-foot-10-inch power forward also added two steals to his stat line. He went 13-14 (93%) from the free throw line.
This would be a big story for the Magic as the team as a whole went 28-31 (90%) from the stripe. Taking advantage of opportunities at the line was a huge reason for the Magic to come back slowly and surely from the deficit. It also helped them break away from Los Angeles in overtime.
Some other players helped Banchero out as well. The towering center Bol Bol played phenomenally with 20 points and nine rebounds. His potential to stretch the floor was seen. He was able to carve through the tough Clippers defense to get easy points at the rim. His ball-handling skills for a 7-foot-5-inch player are out of this world.
Bol on how the increase in playing time in Orlando has improved his game: “It feels great. What I love to do is play basketball. There has been a lot of ups and downs for me but finally getting to play has been very good for me”.
Mo Wagner also had a hot hand as he finished with 20 points. This came along with a posterizing dunk on Clippers’ center Ivica Zubac and on power forward Robert Covington. The Covington dunk came in overtime and was a huge momentum play, contributing to the win. Wagner also had his best rebounding game of the season with 13 boards.
Defense Recovers to Stop Clippers’ Stars From Getting Hot
When Orlando has beaten teams more talented than them this season, it has been because they have restricted the opposing teams’ stars from making an impact.
Wednesday night was the same case. Paul George was held to a measly 3-12 (25%) from the field. Kawhi Leonard was also just 4-15 (26%) from the field. This forced other Los Angeles players to step up, however, they did not have a player score 20 points or more.
Terance Mann was the closest as he had 19 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. He shot well, going 7-10 (70%) from the field. However, the Clippers needing Mann to step up was just what the Magic wanted to see happen.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley on the defense’s energy: “They took the challenge on individually as well as collectively to try to sit down and guard. They understand that is what we have to do. That’s how physical you can be”.
Up Next
The Magic now sit at 6-20 on the season and still remain at the bottom of the eastern conference. Their next game will be back in the Amway Center Friday night against the Toronto Raptors. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. E.T.