On Wednesday night, the Orlando Magic ended a four game road trip victorious with a 116-110 win over the Rockets in Houston. Orlando was looking for a win following a loss in Atlanta on Monday. The win now makes the Magic winners in seven of their last eight.
Second Unit Gives Team a Boost
The play from guys coming off the bench for Orlando has been sensational and the success continued in Texas.
With the Rockets up 64-54 at half, the spark came from Magic guard Cole Anthony. In the third, Anthony scored 12 of his 15 points from the field. His agility and shiftiness made it difficult for the Houston defenders to gauge what he was doing. He also made three three-pointers in the quarter, which made Houston wary of where he was on the court at all times.
Anthony on his performance and the bench’s performance after the game: “We just hoop man. I was just out there having fun… Honestly, that second group came in and we all started to hustle”.
Defensively, Orlando was very active in the steal and block departments. Another bench player, Mo Bamba, was a big time contributor to this. He lead the game in blocks along with Houston rookie Jabari Smith Jr. with three.
Bamba is second on the Magic in blocks per game behind Bol Bol (1.7), averaging one a game.
Another notable performance off the bench was Admiral Schofield. He had seven points and was not shy about getting to the line with three of his points being free throws. The third-year man has averaged seven points a game in the last five games he has played in.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley on the second unit’s outing: “They were big time. I am so proud of those guys for always staying ready. No matter what is happening in the game, they know their job is to create that spark.”
The Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner Duo is Looking Dangerous
A common theme to Orlando’s recent winning ways has been the brilliant play from their lethal wing players. And that was seen again in the Toyota Center.
Banchero and Wagner combined for 48 points with the rookie out of Duke dropping 23 and Wagner dropping 25. They were active on defense as well with two steals each, contributing to the Magic’s team total of 11.
Banchero in particular continues to make his case for rookie of the year, adding 13 rebounds to his 23 points for a double-double; his sixth one of the season.
Wagner’s season has been incredible. His average is now near 20 points a game. Against the Rockets, he had his 18th game with 20+ points. He was lethal from three, shooting 4-8 (50%) and was just as good, if not better, from the field going 9-15 (60%).
Their play together will be key down the stretch for Orlando if they want to continue to win and make a push for a play-in spot.
Up Next
The Magic are now 12-21 and 2.5 games back from the Toronto Raptors for the final play-in position. Orlando has one more game before Christmas Day in the Amway Center against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. E.T.