Getting key contributions from trade acquisitions Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih and returning veteran Al Harrington, the Magic got hot in the second quarter and carried it through a nearly flawless second half to rout the 76ers 98-84 and snap a 10-game road losing streak.
Once down as much as nine points early in the second quarter, the Magic (16-41) put together its best run in weeks to totally turn the game around just before the half. From there, Orlando opened the second half with an 11-0 run and pulled away with a 15-3 spurt to begin the fourth quarter.
``The best test is who is going to have the resolve to push through. It was a great collective effort by every guy on the team tonight,’’ Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said.
``Defensively, we were just really solid and we tried to make them earn everything they got. On the opposite end, we shared the basketball and we had over 30 assists. That’s a good equation for success.’’
Magic holdovers Arron Afflalo (16 points), Andrew Nicholson (13 points), E’Twaun Moore (12 points, 10 assists and three 3-pointers) and Nikola Vucevic (12 points and 19 rebounds) keyed the second-quarter turnaround with some stellar play. Then, Harris (16 points and six rebounds) and Udrih (nine assists) did the rest, and Harrington (nine points, three rebounds and two assists) proved to be the feel-good story of the night with his inspirational play following a 10-month layoff with knee troubles.
``I’m just happy that I played a good game and we won the game. It’s my first game back, the first of many and I’m good to go,’’ said Harrington, who scored all nine of his points and dished out two assists in the decisive fourth quarter. ``A lot of tireless days, sometimes two hours, sometimes six hours, but we got it in. I actually heard the words that I might not play again, so for me to just play in one game was a big accomplishment. Now, I’m going to keep going.’’
Orlando won for the first time since Feb. 10 and won on the road for the first time since the Jan. 12. The Magic did it by shooting a sparkling 53.9 percent from the floor and handing out 33 assists on their 41 field goals.
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.
Follow John Denton on Twitter here