FINAL FROM ORLANDO: Magic 123 Bulls 119. ( Bulls: 8-13, 5-6 on the road)
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine: 26pts. Magic: Vucevic: 43pts (CH) LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Williams and Young each with 7. Magic: Vucevic: 19. LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: LaVine: 8. Magic: Anthony: 9.
CCI STAT OF THE NIGHT: Nikola Vucevic made 17 of 29 shots, drained four-three pointers and grabbed 19 rebounds.
CCI RECAP: The Magic jumped on the Bulls early as Nikola Vucevic set the tone in the first quarter pouring in 15 of his career high 43 points. Vucevic, a 2019 All Star, showed his versatility drilling long distance jumpers and cleaning the glass with 19 rebounds. He also dished out four assists. Rookie Cole Anthony collected nine assists. The Magic average 20 free throws per game-last in the NBA but last night Orlando went to the line a whopping 37 times, shooting 75%.
The Bulls made a run at Orlando but Orlando did just enough to preserve the win. Zach LaVine scored 24 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. Patrick Williams was solid with a season high 20 points. The Bulls committed 16 turnovers leading to 26 Orlando points. The Bulls for the second straight game struggled shooting the three ball going 9-30 from the field. In the last two games the Bulls are shooting 22% behind the arc.
Lauri Markkanen played 17 minutes before leaving with a right shoulder sprain. It's unlikely he will play tonight in a rematch between the two teams.
NEXT: At Orlando Saturday. 5:45 pre. 670 The Score. TV: NBCSC: 6PM
CCI NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Boston 119, Los Angeles Clippers 115. Paul George sat out with a sore right foot. Jayson Tatum scored 34 for the Celtics.
Milwaukee 123, Cleveland 105. The Bucks opened up a six game road trip with two time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 33 points.
Utah 138, Charlotte 121. The Jazz set a franchise record with 26- 3s. LaMelo Ball with a season high 34 points and eight assists for the Hornets
Toronto 123, Brooklyn 117. Kevin Durant played just 19 minutes and was ruled out of the game in the third quarter due to health and safety protocols. He wasn't available to start the game-entering a reserve for the first time in his career spanning 867 games.
Minnesota 106, Oklahoma City 103. D' Angelo Russell sank a three point shot with 3.7 seconds left. The T-Wolves won for only the third time in the last 12 games.
New Orleans 114, Indiana 113. The combo of Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Lonzo Ball scored 68 points.
Miami 122, Washington 95. Bradley Beal missed his first 13 shots.
Phoenix 109, Detroit 92. Frank Kaminsky started and contributed 15 points and five rebounds.
NATIONAL TV GAMES: ABC: Golden State at Dallas 7:30PM. NBA TV: Denver at Sacramento: 4PM.
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