Denton: Magic-Pacers Postgame Analysis
By John Denton
January 20, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Celebratory music blared from the loudspeakers and blue, black and silver streamers fell from the Amway Arena rafters as the crowd roared with a louder-than-usual ovation at the game’s end.
Usually a victory over the woeful Indiana Pacers wouldn’t necessitate such a sense of sheer joy and utter relief, but this was clearly a different situation for the Orlando Magic.
Stuck in a mini-slump and coming off a disappointing 1-3 West Coast roadtrip, the Magic got just the kind of feel-good victory they needed Wednesday night when they whipped the Pacers 109-98 at Amway Arena.
Orlando (27-15) never trailed in the game and led by as many as 29 points at one moment in the third quarter. The only negative on this night was the Magic allowing the Pacers (14-28) to scrap back to within eight points of the lead, but not even that was going to dampen a win that the Magic so desperately needed.
``We really needed a game like that, and it was nice because we got off to a great start and then carried it on through the game,’’ said Magic small forward Matt Barnes, who had 10 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and three steals. ``It’s just one game, but it was a very solid game. It just comes down to us playing hard. We have the best defensive player in the league, the best big man and great parts all around him. We just go out and play we can overcome all of that stuff with our chemistry and other stuff. Playing hard makes up for a lot of stuff.’’
Superstar Dwight Howard, who will be announced on Thursday as the Eastern Conference’s starting all-star center, hammered the Pacers for a season-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Because Indiana couldn’t keep the ball out of Howard’s hands, all they could do was foul and he made them pay by hitting 16 of 24 free throws.
Howard agreed with Barnes that it’s as simple as playing hard in games like this and the Magic will be successful more times than not.
``In order for us to win, we’ve got to have hard work and energy every night,’’ said Howard, who helped the Magic end a three-game losing streak. ``Even if we make mistakes, hard work clears all of that up.’’
In addition to their effort, the Magic also shot 49.3 percent from the floor, hit 10 3-pointers and had 25 assists – their most in the past 17 games. ``The main thing is we got off to a great start and the guys were really ready to play,’’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy raved. ``We had great energy and great ball movement. I think it reflected that we really wanted to get something done and that was great.’’
Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from what proved to be a great night for the Magic:
THE GOOD
---- The Magic were nearly as good in the first quarter and the first half than they have been all season. Orlando had 40 points in the first quarter, two points shy of the 42 that it scored on Dec. 5.
Remarkably, the Magic made six of their first eight 3-point shots and nine of 13 from beyond the stripe in the first half. Lewis, Jason Williams and Mickael Pietrus each made two 3-pointers in the first half, while Nelson, Carter and Redick made one.
The 68 first-half points were four shy of the 72 against the Warriors in December. The Magic made 60 percent of their shots by repeatedly getting in the lane for either layups or kick-outs to open shooters. ``It felt good to win, but I like the fact that the starters came out with a lot of energy,’’ Howard said. ``We ran, played defense and got stops. That’s what we have to do from here on out.’’
---- Howard was dominant on both ends of the floor by working hard to get the ball on the offensive of the floor and working hard for position to slow down Indiana’s Roy Hibbert.
Howard topped the 30 points he scored last Tuesday in Sacramento by scoring the 32 points on Wednesday. By hitting 16 of 24 free throws, Howard raised his free throw percentage to 59.4 percent and joked after the game that he wanted to enter a free-throw shooting contest at the NBA All-Star Game.
But he was most proud of how he played defense on Hibbert, who had embarrassed the Magic with 26 points in an Indy win back on Jan. 5.
``I told our guys before the game that it wasn’t going to be the same game that they had against us that last time,’’ said Howard, whose four steals were also a season-high. ``I told (Magic players) at shootaround and I meant it. Defensively, we came out with a lot of energy.’’
---- Barnes showed once again why he is Van Gundy’s pick to be the starter at small forward, stuffing the stat sheet full of contributions.
He was a big reason why the Magic had so much success shooting from deep in the first half by driving the ball hard to the hoop and then finding open shooters. He seemed well on his way to a triple-double in the first half when he had six points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Barnes, Orlando’s second-leading rebounder in the 12 games since he became a starter, reached double figures in rebounds before the third quarter was four minutes old. His season-high 16 rebounds on Wednesday gave him double-digit rebounds in a game for the fifth time this season.
``It just came from us needing a rebound,’’ Barnes said. ``Me, Dwight and everybody else did a good job of chasing the ball down and that helped keep them from getting second opportunities.’’
---- Williams, Orlando’s ageless point guard, gave the Magic a huge lift by pushing the tempo late in the first period and throughout the second quarter. And as has been the case all season, Magic players seemed to run the floor particularly hard with Williams pushing the break.
He had four assists in the first half and 12 points to go with them. He made two 3-pointers and got to the rim three times for easy baskets.
And he was even better in the second half, pushing the offense for five more assists to give him nine for the game. He finished with 14 points on six of 11 shooting.
THE BAD
---- A Magic team that made nine of 13 3-pointers in the first half made just one of 13 tries in the second half. Fortunately, it didn’t matter because by the Magic’s lead had already swelled to as much as 29 points.
The Magic turned the ball over 21 turnovers.
---- Magic star Vince Carter had another poor shooting night, hitting just two of eight shots and scoring six points. He had five assists, but he didn’t help matters with his shooting by rarely getting in the lane, getting just two free throws in the game.
In his past eight games, he’s shooting a chilly 22.6 percent from the floor (17 of 75) and 20 percent from 3-point range (six of 30).
THE UGLY
---- Any chance Indiana had of shocking the Magic for a second time this season came crashing down the star guard Danny Granger picked up three fouls in the game’s first 2:24 of the game. Two of the fouls came on offensive fouls when Granger shoved his defender to get free off screens.
Indiana already trailed 8-0 when Granger picked up his third foul and by the time he got back in the game the Pacers were down 26-12. Indy was so desperate that they had to get Granger back in the game with 3:47 left in the first period even though he already had the three fouls.
He didn’t pick up his fourth foul until midway through the fourth quarter when he tried to swat a Howard post move.
---- Roy Hibbert had a career night earlier this month against the Magic by scoring 26 points and grabbing eight rebounds against Howard. But the 7-foot-3 center out of Georgetown was nonexistent on Wednesday night by scoring just three points and missing both of his field goal attempts.
``I played probably the worst game I have all year,’’ Hibbert said. ``I have to take my hat off to Dwight, who played very aggressively from the start. I knew they were going to (Howard) and he did a real good job of hitting his free throws. I can learn something from this loss.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonJanuary 20, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Celebratory music blared from the loudspeakers and blue, black and silver streamers fell from the Amway Arena rafters as the crowd roared with a louder-than-usual ovation at the game’s end.
Usually a victory over the woeful Indiana Pacers wouldn’t necessitate such a sense of sheer joy and utter relief, but this was clearly a different situation for the Orlando Magic.
Stuck in a mini-slump and coming off a disappointing 1-3 West Coast roadtrip, the Magic got just the kind of feel-good victory they needed Wednesday night when they whipped the Pacers 109-98 at Amway Arena.
Orlando (27-15) never trailed in the game and led by as many as 29 points at one moment in the third quarter. The only negative on this night was the Magic allowing the Pacers (14-28) to scrap back to within eight points of the lead, but not even that was going to dampen a win that the Magic so desperately needed.
``We really needed a game like that, and it was nice because we got off to a great start and then carried it on through the game,’’ said Magic small forward Matt Barnes, who had 10 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and three steals. ``It’s just one game, but it was a very solid game. It just comes down to us playing hard. We have the best defensive player in the league, the best big man and great parts all around him. We just go out and play we can overcome all of that stuff with our chemistry and other stuff. Playing hard makes up for a lot of stuff.’’
Superstar Dwight Howard, who will be announced on Thursday as the Eastern Conference’s starting all-star center, hammered the Pacers for a season-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Because Indiana couldn’t keep the ball out of Howard’s hands, all they could do was foul and he made them pay by hitting 16 of 24 free throws.
Howard agreed with Barnes that it’s as simple as playing hard in games like this and the Magic will be successful more times than not.
``In order for us to win, we’ve got to have hard work and energy every night,’’ said Howard, who helped the Magic end a three-game losing streak. ``Even if we make mistakes, hard work clears all of that up.’’
In addition to their effort, the Magic also shot 49.3 percent from the floor, hit 10 3-pointers and had 25 assists – their most in the past 17 games. ``The main thing is we got off to a great start and the guys were really ready to play,’’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy raved. ``We had great energy and great ball movement. I think it reflected that we really wanted to get something done and that was great.’’
Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from what proved to be a great night for the Magic:
THE GOOD
---- The Magic were nearly as good in the first quarter and the first half than they have been all season. Orlando had 40 points in the first quarter, two points shy of the 42 that it scored on Dec. 5.
Remarkably, the Magic made six of their first eight 3-point shots and nine of 13 from beyond the stripe in the first half. Lewis, Jason Williams and Mickael Pietrus each made two 3-pointers in the first half, while Nelson, Carter and Redick made one.
The 68 first-half points were four shy of the 72 against the Warriors in December. The Magic made 60 percent of their shots by repeatedly getting in the lane for either layups or kick-outs to open shooters. ``It felt good to win, but I like the fact that the starters came out with a lot of energy,’’ Howard said. ``We ran, played defense and got stops. That’s what we have to do from here on out.’’
---- Howard was dominant on both ends of the floor by working hard to get the ball on the offensive of the floor and working hard for position to slow down Indiana’s Roy Hibbert.
Howard topped the 30 points he scored last Tuesday in Sacramento by scoring the 32 points on Wednesday. By hitting 16 of 24 free throws, Howard raised his free throw percentage to 59.4 percent and joked after the game that he wanted to enter a free-throw shooting contest at the NBA All-Star Game.
But he was most proud of how he played defense on Hibbert, who had embarrassed the Magic with 26 points in an Indy win back on Jan. 5.
``I told our guys before the game that it wasn’t going to be the same game that they had against us that last time,’’ said Howard, whose four steals were also a season-high. ``I told (Magic players) at shootaround and I meant it. Defensively, we came out with a lot of energy.’’
---- Barnes showed once again why he is Van Gundy’s pick to be the starter at small forward, stuffing the stat sheet full of contributions.
He was a big reason why the Magic had so much success shooting from deep in the first half by driving the ball hard to the hoop and then finding open shooters. He seemed well on his way to a triple-double in the first half when he had six points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Barnes, Orlando’s second-leading rebounder in the 12 games since he became a starter, reached double figures in rebounds before the third quarter was four minutes old. His season-high 16 rebounds on Wednesday gave him double-digit rebounds in a game for the fifth time this season.
``It just came from us needing a rebound,’’ Barnes said. ``Me, Dwight and everybody else did a good job of chasing the ball down and that helped keep them from getting second opportunities.’’
---- Williams, Orlando’s ageless point guard, gave the Magic a huge lift by pushing the tempo late in the first period and throughout the second quarter. And as has been the case all season, Magic players seemed to run the floor particularly hard with Williams pushing the break.
He had four assists in the first half and 12 points to go with them. He made two 3-pointers and got to the rim three times for easy baskets.
And he was even better in the second half, pushing the offense for five more assists to give him nine for the game. He finished with 14 points on six of 11 shooting.
THE BAD
---- A Magic team that made nine of 13 3-pointers in the first half made just one of 13 tries in the second half. Fortunately, it didn’t matter because by the Magic’s lead had already swelled to as much as 29 points.
The Magic turned the ball over 21 turnovers.
---- Magic star Vince Carter had another poor shooting night, hitting just two of eight shots and scoring six points. He had five assists, but he didn’t help matters with his shooting by rarely getting in the lane, getting just two free throws in the game.
In his past eight games, he’s shooting a chilly 22.6 percent from the floor (17 of 75) and 20 percent from 3-point range (six of 30).
THE UGLY
---- Any chance Indiana had of shocking the Magic for a second time this season came crashing down the star guard Danny Granger picked up three fouls in the game’s first 2:24 of the game. Two of the fouls came on offensive fouls when Granger shoved his defender to get free off screens.
Indiana already trailed 8-0 when Granger picked up his third foul and by the time he got back in the game the Pacers were down 26-12. Indy was so desperate that they had to get Granger back in the game with 3:47 left in the first period even though he already had the three fouls.
He didn’t pick up his fourth foul until midway through the fourth quarter when he tried to swat a Howard post move.
---- Roy Hibbert had a career night earlier this month against the Magic by scoring 26 points and grabbing eight rebounds against Howard. But the 7-foot-3 center out of Georgetown was nonexistent on Wednesday night by scoring just three points and missing both of his field goal attempts.
``I played probably the worst game I have all year,’’ Hibbert said. ``I have to take my hat off to Dwight, who played very aggressively from the start. I knew they were going to (Howard) and he did a real good job of hitting his free throws. I can learn something from this loss.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
