Denton's Dish: Sunday Recap vs. Hornets

Josh Cohen
Digital News Manager

Davis, who finished last season on a strong note in the playoffs, picked up where he left off with 13 points and five rebounds. Facing New Orleans 7-footer Robin Lopez, Davis had a nice sequence in the third quarter when he converted a layup over the center and then later snatched a rebound away for another hoop. Reserve guard E’Twaun Moore had 14 points for the Magic. ``It was fun seeing our guys get out and play with pace,’’ Vaughn said. ``I told the guys at halftime, `I don’t know who is going to get the ball and I don’t know who is going to shoot it.’ That’s the best part of it because neither does the defense (know). So it was great how we shared the basketball and whoever scores, scores.’’ The Magic were scheduled to return to Orlando following the game. The Magic will host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday in the exhibition home opener. The game also featured a reunion with Ryan Anderson, who was dealt to New Orleans (1-0) in the offseason in a sign-and-trade transaction. Anderson led the league in 3-point makes and won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award last season while wearing a Magic uniform. Anderson, who is coming off the bench despite signing a $36 million contract in the offseason, missed his first five shots and struggled most of the game against his former team. He made just one of 11 shots and one of eight 3-pointers. He finished with six points and eight rebounds. New Orleans’ forward Anthony Davis, the top overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft, had eight points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Orlando native and son of former Magic coach Doc Rivers, Austin Rivers had 10 points for the Hornets. For weeks Vaughn has been promising that the Magic would play with a team concept, sharing the ball unselfishly and helping one another out. That was on full display in the first half as the Magic stormed to a 46-31 lead. Orlando had nine players score at least four points in the first half. And the Magic had to be creative with how they scored after shooting just 40.5 percent in the first 24 minutes. Glen ``Big Baby’’ Davis made seven of eight free throw attempts in the first half; Ayon had three field goals and six points early on, while fellow center Nikola Vucevic chipped in eight rebounds in the first half. Rookies Andrew Nicholson (four points) and DeQuan Jones (six points) were also impressive early in the game with their hustle running the floor. The Magic opened their new era with a rousing start to the game, opening with a 10-0 spurt over the first four minutes. Ayon, who elicited cheers each time he touched the ball, scored on a left-handed layup to give the Magic their first basket of the season. The first quarter featured a rough start for Anderson, who missed all five of his shots and four 3-point tries. Anderson wasn’t shy, continuing to shoot while also crashing the boards. He had four boards in the first quarter, three of them coming on the offensive glass. John Denton writes for OrlandoMagic.com. John has covered the Magic since 1997. E-mail John at jdenton@orlandomagic.com or follow him on Twitter at @JohnDenton555. ORLANDOMAGIC.COM FEATURES: Raised Expectations for AfflaloFirst Practice Filled With Energy & Enthusiasm | Roster Breakdown | Magic Not Accepting Term 'Rebuilding' | Ten Burning Questions 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.

 

 

 

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