ORLANDO – In most NBA games, there are one or two players who truly deserve to be called the “star(s) of the night.”
For the short-handed Orlando Magic on Wednesday in Los Angeles, there were five or six of them. That’s how collectively good they were in beating the West-leading Lakers, previously winners of nine straight before the Magic ended their streak.
Markelle Fultz
The 6-foot-3, 209-pound point guard became the 16th player in Magic history to record a triple-double, tallying 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He also connected on a pair of crucial buckets in the final stages – one with 38.6 seconds left and the other with 15.4 ticks remaining.
Aaron Gordon
Aside from throwing down a few jaw-dropping slams and drilling a critical 3-pointer with just under five minutes left, the 24-year-old was tremendous on the other end of the floor, helping limit LeBron James to just 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting overall and 2-of-9 from 3-point distance.
Nikola Vucevic
The biggest 3-pointer of the night was made by Vucevic when he knocked down a triple that put Orlando up four with 55.9 seconds left. Vucevic’s ability to space the floor allowed Fultz to repeatedly penetrate the lane.
Wes Iwundu
Very few players compete harder than Iwundu, one of the Magic’s best defenders. On this night he was also sensational on the offensive end, finishing with a career-best 19 points. He had a huge steal with 2 ½ minutes remaining that led to him getting fouled.
Terrence Ross
Ross did Ross-like things. He was sharp coming off screens and made several tough shots. He also had a few deflections, something he excels at on the defensive end.
B.J. Johnson
Named one of the Magic’s two-way players right before the season began, the 24-year-old from Philadelphia got off to a great start as soon as he entered the game. He had a couple breakaway slams off steals and sank one of his four 3-point attempts. He also did a great job defensively on L.A.’s last meaningful possession, forcing James into a tough contested 3-pointer. In 20 games with Lakeland so far this season, the 6-foot-7, versatile forward is averaging 23.6 points and shooting nearly 44 percent from beyond the arc.
Gary Clark
Added to the team about 24 hours before this game, Clark showed off his versatility in his Magic debut. He scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting overall and 2-of-4 from 3-point range. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder, who was previously with the Rockets, pulled down a couple of key offensive rebounds late as well.
Mo Bamba
Bamba did a tremendous job on the glass, pulling down 11 rebounds. He also had five points, one assist, one steal and one block.