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Denton: Magic vs. Nets Analysis (1/21/14)

Josh Cohen
Digital News Manager

By John Denton Jan. 21, 2014

NEW YORK – It was ``Russian Night’’ on Tuesday at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, and outside it resembled Siberia what with the 12 inches of snow on the ground, the howling winds and the sub-zero wind-chill temperature.

All together, it felt like some sort of bizarre scene out of ``Rocky IV’’ with the star-studded Brooklyn Nets playing the role of Ivan Drago as the heavy favorites and the Orlando Magic stuck in the underdog spot.

Unfortunately for the Magic, however, the there would be no stirring upset by the plucky underdog this time around. Instead, Brooklyn withstood an early flurry from the pesky Magic and delivered a crushing knockout blow in a decisive third quarter.

Orlando fought bravely for a half, spurred on by veteran point guard Jameer Nelson’s unselfish play, but it ultimately collapsed under an avalanche of missed shots and errors in the third quarter of a 101-90 loss to the surging Nets.

``We didn’t move (the ball). We were moving it in the first half really well and then in the second half we didn’t,’’ Magic forward Tobias Harris said. ``You see how it goes. In the first half, we’re right in the game and the second half they make shots and we’re not moving it. That’s the story of the game.’’

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