Over the course of their two stops in New York, the Orlando Magic showed flashes of what they can eventually become on both ends of the floor.
Against the Knicks, the Magic used their stifling defense – along with some timely buckets – to secure their second victory at Madison Square Garden this season. Then, two nights later in Brooklyn, Orlando’s offense exploded for a season-high 62-points in the first half before the veteran Nets rallied back to pull out a two-point triumph.
Now, the Magic (4-12) will need to put both of those ingredients together if they hope to cook up a victory in Milwaukee when they face the defending-champion Bucks (8-8) on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
“Shoot, you probably just said it in that sentence, the defending champs,” said Chuma Okeke, who not only scored a season-high 17 points against the Nets on Friday, but also somehow knew what was going to be typed the sentence before this quote. “This is a chance to see – of course we’ve lost some games, but this also a chance to see where we’re at. They’ve got one of the best players in the NBA on their team, so this is a chance coming off of a back-to-back. Got to hydrate a lot, get a lot of rest, and come in a play hard (on Saturday) too.”
Bringing forth a competitive effort night in and night out has been an important element of the culture Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley has attempted to instill in Orlando since his arrival. While there are some elements of efficiency that will always be inconsistent with younger squads, the 15th head coach in Magic history hopes to make high-defensive energy one of the nightly calling cards for his team.
“We go for the next one and continue to work,” said Mosley. “We’ll watch the film (against the Nets), understand what we did, where we can continue to improve, (and) where we can continue to grow. We did some really good things in that game. We competed. A couple of free throws here and there, a couple of shots made here and there, (and) a stop down the stretch. Again, but these are learning lessons that we’ll continue to get better from.”
Mosley and his assistant coaches have done an excellent job of getting their team to make consistent strides, especially on the defensive end. In the month of November, Orlando not only has a top-11 defensive rating (107.5), but also ranks first in limiting opponents fast break points (8.8), sixth in blocks (5.6), and 10th in opponents points in the paint (43.3) per game. They’re also using that energy on the offensive glass, ranking seventh in second chance points (14.2) per contest during that span.
Wendell Carter Jr., who is currently averaging career highs in points (12.8), rebounds (9.7), assists (2.4), and 3-point percentage (41.9), is also fifth in the NBA in total second chance points scored this season (54).
“We’re ready to embrace the challenge,” said Magic rookie Jalen Suggs of closing out the team’s five-game road trip with back-to-back matchups in Milwaukee. “We have to be or we’re going to get blown off the court. If we don’t go meet them head first and embrace that, then it’s going to be a long night. We respect all, but we fear none.”
KEY STAT: Suggs erupted for 17 of his 21 points in the first quarter against the Nets. In the process, Suggs matched the most points in a quarter by a Magic rookie since quarter-by-quarter stats began being tracked in 1996-97. He tied Jameer Nelson, who scored 17 in the fourth quarter on Jan. 10, 2005 at Boston.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Orlando is a scrappy team. We knew that. They were going to come out energized, especially after their win against the Knicks, they were rolling a little bit. Coach Mosley got them rolling over there. We knew that they were going to come out with confidence. We took that punch and we did what we did.” – Brooklyn’s James Johnson on the Magic
IN AND OUT: Cole Anthony (sprained right ankle), Michael Carter-Williams (left ankle), Markelle Fultz (left knee), Jonathan Isaac (left knee), and E’Twaun Moore (left knee sprain) are all out for Orlando.
For Milwaukee, Semi Ojeleye (right calf soreness) is questionable, Rodney Hood (right hamstring soreness) is doubtful, Donte DiVincenzo (left ankle) and Brook Lopez (back soreness) are out.
RIVALS REPORT: In this edition of the Rivals Report, we’re joined by Jim Owczarski, an award-winning journalist covering the Bucks for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and jsonline.com. He was kind enough to answer a few questions about the team ahead of their back-to-back set with the Magic.
Savage: “Due to illness and injury, we haven’t seen too much of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday all on the floor together at the same time this season. But when you have seen that trio out on the court together, what have you seen out of the Bucks’ big three?”
Owczarski: “In a lesser way, it looks like the way they finished a year ago. Meaning, Jrue Holiday coming up with a defensive stop when needed on the player they need to get that stop against. Khris Middleton hitting very clutch mid-range jump shots. And Giannis Antetokounmpo just being Giannis, quite frankly, in the paint, working off pick-and-rolls with those two, (and) really forcing defenses to make a hard decision. So, yes, they have only played in four games together. It’s only been two games since Khris Middleton’s return from COVID-19, but you definitely see the three of them looking like the three of them in spurts, we’ll call it, because it clearly isn’t all the way back yet for (the Bucks).”
Savage: “Khris Middleton passed Ray Allen for the franchise’s all-time three-pointers made record. What has he meant to the Bucks since he arrived there?”
Owczarski: “He joked that he told Giannis after the game, ‘just let me have one record and I’ll be fine with it.’ (laughter) He actually admitted that it was a goal of his to become the franchise record holder and pass Ray Allen, which as you know is sort of rare for athletes to admit to such things in the moment. The reason I preface my answer with that, Dan, is to say that I think it means a lot to Khris and also Khris means a lot to the organization. Look before Giannis and the supermax, Khris Middleton had signed two contract extensions. He was the first one. Now, you can argue back during those extensions that he wasn’t an All-Star. I know (when he signed) his second extension, people wondered, was he a max player? And there was a lot of handwringing over that. But he was the first one to call Milwaukee home and stay. And I think when you set franchise records that speaks to career length and your skill level. Overall, when the history, especially if this team makes another Eastern Conference Finals run or Finals run, and people look back, it’s going to have to start with Khris Middleton and Giannis coming to organization in 2013. But, also, with Khris Middleton electing to stay and what happened in the years after that.”
Savage: “This season for the Bucks will ultimately be judged by how far they go in the postseason. For Milwaukee to put itself in position to make another championship run, what do you feel is the one thing that needs to happen that maybe people nationally are not talking about or don’t quite notice?”
Owczarski: “It’s funny because on one hand it’s a cliché, but it fits into that specific question, Dan. What I mean by that is health, specifically the health of center Brook Lopez. This is a guy who hasn’t played since the season opener, and I don’t know if on a national level if it’s been talked about at all. I can’t say that I consume everything national NBA media-wise, but I don’t think that it has definitely registered to any degree. And I’d argue that it’s played maybe a larger role in the Bucks’ slow start on both ends of the court than even Khris Middleton missing eight games with COVID-19. This Bucks’ defense, I don’t want to say has crumbled, but they are less than average (without Lopez). Offensively, the spacing hasn’t been great. Also, quite frankly, they haven’t been able to score in the paint very well, and that’s saying something when you have arguably the best attacker of the rim in basketball. So, I do think while it’s a cliché, oh it’s health and you could point to every team, I think this team and anyone who watches them has found out just how valuable Brook Lopez is.
Then, I would say off of that, now that Middleton is back, to find out where Grayson Allen fits in the offense. He really stepped up when Holiday missed games, when Middleton missed games, averaging almost sixteen points a game. There was a stretch where he was shooting over fifty percent from three. Look, those shots are going away. They may still be open, but the volume isn’t going to be there. So, I think they’re going to recalibrate that and figure out how to play off one another, where he’s going to go, where he’s going to get his looks, because frankly, he’s not Bryn Forbes. I think he’s a little more dynamic of an offensive player with these guys and they’re going to need him to score buckets. They’re just going to have to figure out how to do it once Middleton is back at his full minutes workload.”