3:53am Sunday Morning

This one hurts. This game ebbed and flowed in a similar fashion to the first game, but with altogether more impressive offensive performances. It was a thrilling game to watch, but at the same time more than mildly infuriating. The lack of execution in the final moments of the game jump out immediately as the reasons for losing this game, but ultimately the Magic found themselves in a difficult do-or-die position at the end of the 4th quarter because of a truly porous perimeter defense and an abundance of sloppy turnovers. The “shoulda, woulda, coulda” feeling that fans have after coming so close to beating one of the big boys is rough as all hell — but it shouldn’t cloud the fact that this game saw significant performances out of players who are crucial to the Magic’s success this season.

Nikola Vucevic – The Best Player on the Floor

One has to start with, for my money, the best player on the floor for either team this game, Nikola Vucevic. Coming up against one of the league’s best centers in Joel Embiid, Vuc put in the kind of veteran, clever performance that the Magic desperately needed. Embiid got his 30 points, as he is wont to do, but every time it felt like Vucevic had an answer. It was a total performance, ending with a triple double of 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Without a performance like this at center this game would have been seriously ugly. Bamba had his highlight(s) — the steal off Embiid followed up by a lovely 3-pointer — but this was always going to be too big a game for a player who is clearly still getting to grips with NBA ball.

I’m also yet to be convinced that the Bamba-Vucevic experimental pairing can work. a 16 point lead cut quickly to a 2 point deficit with them in the game together, as the defense lost its coordination and the offense looked increasingly stunted. There’s still time to get to grips with the system but the initial prognosis is not good.

Evan Fournier -Thank God For That



This was exactly the kind of performance that we all have been looking for from Fournier. From the tip his shots were falling, and he was utilizing his skills well enough to generate space down the middle for his teammates. After two very poor performances, Fournier (and Magic fans) will be relieved to know that he still has the ability to be lethal from the perimeter. It was interesting, though, to compare the kind of shots the two teams were taking.

While it felt like Fournier and the Magic were somehow making heavily contested 3-pointers (and one terrific half-court buzzer beater, unfortunately now consigned to the dustbin of “great meaningless moments”), it felt like the 76ers were getting open shot after open shot. I’ll talk a bit more about the Magic’s abhorrent perimeter defense next, but it isn’t just down to the defense, it’s also on the offense to move the ball more reliably and create better opportunities for their scorers. This once again comes down to a poor performance from the point guard position in particular, with all of Augustin, Briscoe, and Grant flattering to deceive.

Perimeter D – the problem that wont go away

The last couple of games have demonstrated this teams truly fatal flaw: it’s inability to deal with offensive pressure from beyond the arc. It has felt like in each game, at least one player from the opposing team has made it their mission to light the Magic up, and the stats back that up, too. The 76ers shot 17/34 tonight, and the Hornets shot 17/38 last night.

In this contest, the game-plan appeared to be to clog the lane, collapse in to the paint and dare the core of Embiid, Fultz and Simmons to shoot the long ball. This looked inspired at the start of the game, but after Simmons left due to a back injury not to return, JJ Redick took the reigns and the Magic failed to adjust. At times it felt almost felt like a bad baseball inning where the pitcher is getting shelled– a relentless barrage of easy threes that seemed to halt any Magic progress.

The lack of defensive adjustment on the perimeter was at times baffling to watch. Bamba in particular had a very tough time of it. This might be harsh, but at points he looked like a 2k MyCareer center sacrificing any and all defensive duties outside of the paint for the sake of getting a block or a rebound. I counted 4 of Embiids 5 shots from beyond the arc (of which he made 3) being quitted on by Bamba, which was not a pretty sight. You can do that against Hassan Whiteside, but not against someone with the skillset of Embiid.

Aaron Gordon – Pure Fun

To end on a positive on such a heart wrenching night, Aaron Gordon once again showed that when he is on his game there are few people in the NBA that are more fun to watch than him. He buzzes around the court with a sort of wild, almost childlike energy which can be utterly infectious. For all the talk in the offseason about working on his shot selection and overall offense, it is his defense and his rebounding which seem to have seen the most improvement coming in to this season. Gordon finished with 3 blocks and another great performance on the boards, hauling in 12 rebounds. I still need him to stop being in love with the fade-away long 2 pointer off the bounce, but we still have time.

I say less contested fadeaway deep 2 pointers, and more money for public schools! #Magic pic.twitter.com/eiPVVOLRPy — Alistair – The Magichist (@TheMagichist) October 21, 2018

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“Should i have skipped it and gone to bed?” Rating: 2/10. I would’ve avoided a heartbreaking ending, but missed out on some truly fantastic performances and an incredibly fun game.