The Lead
The Magic have played a few wild games this season. The latest came on Friday in Chicago, as Jalen Suggs, to complete his 20-point night, buried a game-winning 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in Orlando’s thrilling 108-107 victory over the Bulls.
Clutch Moments
The Magic, following a pair of Javonte Green buckets, trailed by four with 20 seconds and change remaining. Suggs, after corralling an offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer from Wendell Carter Jr., was fouled and subsequently knocked down a pair of free throws. Former Magic player Nikola Vucevic, then, missed two free throws to open the door for Suggs to drill his game-winning three.
Jalen Suggs' Game-Winning 3-Pointer in Chicago
Top Performers
Suggs, who also made clutch shots in Orlando’s win a couple weeks ago over Golden State, filled up the stat sheet with 20 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Carter, who returned following a one-game absence, scored 21 points against his former team, while Franz Wagner had 20 before fouling out in the final minute.
Interesting Notes
The Magic led by as many as 19 earlier in the game. Gary Harris made his season debut after having offseason knee surgery and finished with seven points in 24 minutes. Orlando held Zach LaVine, Chicago’s second-leading scorer this season, to just four points on 1-of-14 overall shooting and 0-of-5 3-point shooting. DeMar DeRozan, however, was tremendous with 41 points.
Key Stats
The Magic won the 3-point battle. They buried 12 of their 28 attempts, while the Bulls went just 5-for-21. Orlando had seven blocks, tied for second most this season.
Quote of the Day
“That’s an amazing feeling. It’s great to come out here with my guys to just hoop and everything that happened and didn’t happen last year, forgetting all of it, learning from it, getting better to come out here where I can play with supreme confidence. Have fun on the court with my guys, and we all can go in the right direction – and I think that’s where we are heading.” – Suggs
Injury Report
Paolo Banchero (sprained left ankle), Cole Anthony (right internal oblique muscle injury), Markelle Fultz (toe), Moe Wagner (sprained right midfoot), and Jonathan Isaac (left knee rehabilitation) were out for the Magic. Lonzo Ball (knee) was unavailable for the Bulls.
This Day in History
The Magic, following Friday’s win, are now 12-4 all-time on Nov. 18. One of their other victories on this day came in 2007, against the Boston Celtics, who won the title that season. Dwight Howard led Orlando with 24 points and Rashard Lewis had 22 in that thrilling win. Paul Pierce posted 28 points for the Celtics, while Ray Allen scored 19 and Kevin Garnett tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Rivals Report
As you’re probably aware of, the Magic will get the Bulls’ first-round pick this year if it’s outside the top four. Based on how they’ve played so far this season, it’s certainly possible Chicago could miss the playoffs and be in the draft lottery. While their defense has been better than expected, the Bulls’ offense just hasn’t been potent enough, and that’s largely because LaVine hasn’t had that same burst coming off offseason knee surgery. Just as significant has been the absence of Ball, their best passer and one of their better 3-point shooters.
Up Next
The Magic will make a short flight southeast to Indianapolis, where they will stay for a few days and play the Pacers twice, with the first meeting on Saturday at 7 p.m. Indiana features a trio of guards who have all gotten off to great starts this season. Tyrese Haliburton is one of only two players in the league averaging 20-plus points and 10-plus assists, with James Harden, currently sidelined with an injury, the other. Just from an efficiency standpoint, Buddy Hield is having the best season of his NBA career, and Bennedict Mathurin, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 draft, has the league’s fourth best 3-point percentage among players who have attempted at least 75 3-pointers.