By John DentonJuly 11, 2013
ORLANDO -- Orlando prized rookie Victor Oladipo drilled a clutch, step-back jump shot over Philadelphia point guard Michael Carter-Williams with 4.4 seconds remaining to lift the Magic to a 90-89 summer league victory.
With his Magic trailing 89-88, Olidipo took the ball right at Carter-Williams, pulling up just left of the key for a jump shot that put the Magic into the lead with 4.4 seconds remaining. It was prime theater with Oladipo, the second pick in the draft, going head-to-head against Carter-Williams, the No. 11 pick in the draft, over the final 2 minutes of the game.
Philadelphia’s Khalif Wyatt missed a 12-foot jumper in the final seconds, as the Magic (2-2) moved into a six-way tie for third place in the Southwest Airlines Orlando pro Summer League. Philadelphia (0-4) remained winless along with Brooklyn.
Houston and Oklahoma City will play for the Summer League championship on Friday at 12 p.m.
Orlando center Kyle O’Quinn set the stage for Oladipo’s heroics when he blocked a dunk attempt by Arsalan Kazemi at the rim in the final 15 seconds.
Oladipo finished with 24 points, six assists, three steals and five turnovers. Carter-Williams shook off a slow start and finished with 11 points, nine assists, six rebounds and eight turnovers.
For Oladipo, the shot over Carter-Williams was a measure of revenge from when Indiana University was knocked out of the Sweet 16 by Syracuse. Carter-Williams had 24 points in the Orange’s 61-50 defeat of IU. Oladipo struggled with Syracuse’s zone defense and managed just 16 points on March 28 in the NCAA Tournament.
Andrew Nicholson chipped in 23 points, while O’Quinn had 11 boards and two blocked shots. Arnett Moultrie chipped in 23 points for the Sixers.
Behind some stellar early play from Oladipo, Orlando stormed to a 14-point lead and seemed poised to run away with the game. But Philadelphia responded with a 27-19 second quarter to close within 46-45 by halftime.
In a matchup of top players in the NBA Draft, Oladipo started out guarding Carter-Williams and the Magic rookie got the best of the 6-6 guard early in the game. Oladipo used his smothering defense to force Carter-Williams into four turnovers in the first 5 minutes of the game and five for the first half.
Oladipo repeatedly got past Carter-Williams when Orlando had the ball and scored 15 points in the first half. He made just four of 11 shots, but he got to the free throw line six times (with five makes). He turned the ball over four times, but he did contribute three assists and two steals in the first two quarters.
James Southerland had a stellar first half to help the Sixers get back into the game after trailing by double digits much of the first half. He had 15 points early on, including a stretch with two 3-pointers and three free throws after he was fouled behind the line.