ORLANDO -- The Orlando Magic have an opportunity to do something on Tuesday they’ve never accomplished in franchise history: start off a season 4-0.
The undefeated Magic (3-0) put their unbeaten streak to the test when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (1-0) at 8 p.m. ET.
While Orlando has started off the season strong, it’s the way that the team is finishing games that’s been so impressive to open their 2020-21 campaign. The Magic currently lead the NBA in fourth-quarter points, posting 38.3 per contest while shooting a scorching 60 percent from the floor in the period.
“We’ve played three good fourth quarters,” Magic Head Coach Steve Clifford said. “We could easily be (0-3) right now, (but in) all three of the games that we’ve played the deciding quarter has been the fourth quarter.”
They’ve been balanced on both ends of the floor in the closing moments as their offensive rating (147.4) in the fourth quarter ranks second in the league and their defensive rating (91.1) ranks third overall.
“How you win can build confidence or create indecision in your group,” Clifford explained. “I think that it’s good to win this way.”
Aaron Gordon (7.0), Nikola Vucevic (7.0), and Markelle Fultz (6.7) all currently rank top 30 in the league in points in the final period and each have played pivotal roles in helping the team close out games.
“(We’re) just coming out each and every day and just giving it our all,” said Fultz, who scored 10 of his career-high 26 points in the final five minutes of the Magic’s win over the Wizards on Sunday. “If we do that and play Orlando Magic basketball, give it our best shot, I feel like we have a very good chance. We’re going to shock a lot of people.”
Equally as impressive as its closing lineup has been the production of Orlando’s second unit. Terrence Ross is currently first in the NBA in bench points, erupting for 23.3 points per game. Nicknamed the Human Torch for his ability to quickly catch fire, the explosive shooting guard puts tremendous pressure on opposing defenses and wreaks havoc on their rotations as defenders scramble to get over screens and not give Ross one ounce of daylight, because at times, that’s all he needs.
“He’s an excellent player who can score the ball from anywhere,” said Michael Carter-Williams. “It really opens up the offense for all of us to try and find him because we know the defense is going to try to take him away. Whenever we can get him an easy look, we’ve got to get him the ball. He does a lot for our team.”
Along with Ross, the Magic’s second unit as a whole has done their share of damage, posting 47.0 points per contest, third best in the league. Cole Anthony and Chuma Okeke have made instant impact as rookies, Carter-Williams has drawn praise from his head coach for his leadership and tenacity, Khem Birch has delivered as a screener, scorer and defender, and Gary Clark has stepped up in crucial moments.
“I think we have a chance to be a really good second unit,” Carter-Williams said. “We’ve definitely made some big plays. I still think we have a long way to go, but we’ve been able to get wins and come out on top.”
KEY STATS: Orlando outscored Washington 43-19 in the fourth quarter on Sunday and overcame a 17-point deficit to win. Per Sportradar, since 1996-97, it is the third-largest, fourth-quarter comeback in team history.
One of the main reasons the Magic were in position to make such a monumental comeback was their accuracy from the charity stripe. The Magic went 37-for-38 from the free throw line in that contest, marking their highest free throw percentage (97.4) in a game with 37-plus free throws made in team history.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think we have a really good idea of who we are and one of our biggest strengths is just fighting, playing hard, and trying to be smart without the ball. We really had a good (comeback effort against the Wizards) and we have to build on it.” – Ross, who’s scored 25-plus points in back-to-back games.
IN AND OUT: The Magic are expected to keep their same starting lineup of Fultz, Evan Fournier, Dwayne Bacon, Gordon and Vucevic. James Ennis III (strained right hamstring/sore right calf), Al-Farouq Aminu (right knee rehabilitation) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee rehabilitation) are all listed as out on the team's injury report.
RIVALS REPORT: In this edition of our Rivals Report series, I brought in special guest, Nick Gallo, sideline reporter and writer for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s been covering the Thunder for the past 10 seasons and is one of the most pleasant and positive people you'll meet traveling around the association. He was kind enough to take the time prior to the Thunder's game against the Utah Jazz on Monday and answer a few key questions:
Savage: "What’s the Thunder organization expecting out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season? We all saw he had an impressive opener where he hit the game-winning shot."
Gallo: “I think that situation is a good microcosm of the Thunder, not necessarily (in regards to) him to be this prolific crunch-time guy or go-to guy in terms of scoring, but the mental approach that they want him to take. One thing that he’s really been focused on is being that next-play mentality type of player where he’s not letting previous plays get to him and being able to really stay in the moment. That’s something that Shai really did a nice job of in that situation. He shook off a few turnovers, a few missed free throws, and was able to go out and execute a play. What the Thunder is hoping for is for Shai to take those next steps forward as, yes, a primary ballhandler, but also as a player that can be counted on to be approaching the game, approaching each possession, approaching a series of games throughout the season with the right mindset and the right attitude. Really focused on being somebody that can be relied upon on both ends of the floor."
Savage: “He had the opportunity to play with Chris Paul last year. What impact did that have on Shai and how might it shape him going forward?"
Gallo: “Certainly, getting to watch a master of their craft do their job every single day, one of the best point guards of all-time, had to have helped Shai in terms of his ability to see the floor and understand the options that are out there for a player when they have the ball in their hands a ton, the way that Chris did last year and the way that Shai is going to. But I think the other thing that Shai has pointed out is he had a chance to play off the ball and that really helped open his eyes to some things that maybe if he had just been playing point guard and been on his own with the ball in his hands, he might not have recognized. From listening to him talk and hearing guys throughout the league, sometimes when you play a different position, you play off the ball, you get a different perspective. That will hopefully be something Shai can carry forward into this year as well.”
Savage: “When you look at this Thunder team as a whole, what are some of their greatest strengths heading into this season?”
Gallo: “My thought would be the positionlessness of the team. In the preseason, the guys who took and made the most three-pointers were all six-foot-nine and above. It was Al Horford, Mike Muscala, and Aleksej Pokuševski, the Thunder’s first-round draft pick. So, there’s going to be a lot of inside-out action and creation of offense from every spot on the floor. What they’re really trying to hone is balance on the offensive end. Fortunately, when you have veterans like Al Horford and George Hill, who have been offensive facilitators, guys that play so unselfishly within the flow and are disciplined in terms of the shots that they take, I think that’s going to be something that this team is going to be able to do, which is to try to create that balanced attack. That’s something that will help Shai as well. A more balanced attack frees him up."
Savage: “You touched on Pokuševski a little bit. How excited is the team about him because he was one of those guys that may be a little bit of a project but certainly has a skillset that could be something special in this league?"
Gallo: “There’s definitely a level of skill there. That’s why he was identified. There’s also a confidence to him too. He was a professional starting at age thirteen. He moved from Serbia to Greece to go play professionally on his own at age thirteen. His family followed him later on, but still, it takes some backbone and some moxie (to do that). But more than anything with a guy like Poku or Théo Maledon, who the Thunder acquired in the draft through a trade in the second round, it’s more just building and developing those professional habits right now. It’s about trying to build a baseline of what it takes to be a pro in this league. Can you play three games in four nights? Can you play a back-to-back? Can you mentally and physically prepare yourself for those types of things? And all the other stuff, the layering of their games and continuing to add on to their skillsets, all of that will come just with their work ethic, attitude, and approach. But really, for now, it’s getting them into a system where they can start to get their feet set as professionals on this level, obviously the highest level in the world.”