On Monday, the Orlando Magic picked up their 24th win of the season following a 100-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls on the road in the United Center. The win puts Orlando three games back from Washington for the last play-in tournament spot. Big offense from multiple Orlando starters helped push the Magic to victory.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley on the win: “It was great. Their focus, effort, and energy… we shared it with 24 assists and played the right way.”
Markelle Fultz has Career Night, Magic Starters Produce Big Time
The Magic point guard had one of the most efficient games of his career. He had 18 points, nine assists, and 10 rebounds. It was a near triple-double and was close to being the third of Fultz’s career. He was very accurate shooting as well, going 8-15 (53%) from the field.
First-overall pick Paolo Banchero led the Magic in points with 22. He also chipped in on the defensive end which was a huge factor in the win with three blocks.
The team’s defensive effort was huge as they put up 14 combined blocks and steals.
Franz Wagner was a major weapon in Monday night’s contest as he scored 18 points and shot an outstanding 7-8 (88%) from the field. The skilled forward has been putting up great numbers in his second season averaging 19.1 points and 4.0 rebounds a game.
With Mo Bamba recently leaving for Los Angeles, the Magic needed a big man to step up. Wendell Carter Jr. did so with 15 points and seven rebounds. Carter was a former Chicago Bull before he was traded to the Magic in a deal that sent Nikola Vucevic to the Windy City back in March of 2021.
Zach LaVine Impresses, Bulls’ Starters Lack Scoring Elsewhere
It has truly been a tribulation year for the Chicago Bulls. However, one of the constants has been Zach LaVine. The veteran has been scoring at high rates for the Bulls, averaging 23.9 points a game. Against Orlando, he had 26 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. However, he led Chicago in turnovers with five. It was one of his highest turnover-total games.
Aside from LaVine’s usual counterpart Demar DeRozan (19 points), there was a lack of scoring from the other three Bulls’ starters. Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vucevic combined for only 21 points.
The dependency on LaVine and DeRozan hurt Chicago down the stretch in a game where they constantly played catch up to Orlando. The Magic held the lead for the majority of the game.
Up Next
Orlando now has two games before the all-star break. The next one is the night of Valentine’s Day on the road against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. E.T.