By John Denton
Nov. 27, 2015
ORLANDO – Long before the regular season ever started, Orlando Magic coach Scott Skiles said that he would never be afraid to juggle the team’s lineups if he saw prolonged struggles or the need for a jolt.
Two games with the Magic’s new starting lineup and a different rotation off the bench – one where standout guard Victor Oladipo is used as a reserve to balance out the first and second units – Skiles seems to have reignited the fire in this Orlando team.
Orlando got contributions from all over the roster, put on an absolute shooting clinic in Friday’s third quarter and played as well offensively as it has all season in an impressive 114-90 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks.
A noisy crowd at the Amway Center saw Orlando hit 13 of 16 shots in the third period, including all six of its 3-pointers to break open a close game. The Magic led a Bucks team that it figures to battle all season for a postseason berth by as much as 29 points in the lopsided second half.
“It was beautiful,’’ said Magic forward Tobias Harris, referring to the jaw-dropping performance in the third quarter. “We didn’t have a good first half and we knew that, so our big emphasis (in the third quarter) was energy. We all just kept feeding off of each other, we were able to make threes and we got into the lane and made the extra pass. That helped us a ton out there.’’
How impressive of a night was it for the Magic? It was Orlando’s first 20-point win since Nov. 3, 2013 and its largest margin of victory since April 9, 2012.
Point guard Elfrid Payton carved up the Bucks (6-10) for 22 points (on 10 of 12 shooting) and 10 assists, while Harris burned his former team for 19 points and four 3-pointers. Oladipo had his second straight big game off the bench, contributing 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Evan Fournier also had a nice bounce-back night from a tough shooting game earlier in the week with 17 points and three 3-pointers.
The Magic shot a season-best 53.1 percent from the floor and drilled 12 3-pointers. It’s just the second time that Orlando has shot better than 50 percent this season.
“Definitely, it’s no question. No question about it, it’s not even close,’’ Oladipo said when asked if this is the best the Magic have looked in his time in Orlando. “We just need to build on it and keep growing as a team.’’
Orlando (8-8) got to .500 for the third time this season, doing so at 5-5, 6-6 and now 8-8. It’s the latest that the Magic have been at .500-or-better since the 2011-12 season. Also, they have locked up their first winning month for the first time since March of 2012 and they can potentially push the record to 9-6 in November by beating Boston on Sunday.
“If you have a winning month, and then you have another winning month and another winning month and you have six winning months, you’re six games over .500 and you’re in the playoffs,’’ Skiles said. “So we’d like to get that (Sunday victory) accomplished before we go (on the upcoming 10-day roadtrip).’’
Nikola Vucevic chipped in nine points and six rebounds, while Channing Frye added nine points, four boards and some impressive defense on Jabari Parker (eight points in 22 minutes).
On the heels of losses to Sacramento and Cleveland, Skiles altered his starting lineup in hopes of bringing more shooting and energy to the first and second teams. In order to insert sweet-shooting power forward Frye (three 3-pointers on Friday) in the starting lineup, Oladipo had to move into a reserve role. Oladipo responded to that move on Wednesday by pumping in 24 points and he played well once again on Friday with his do-everything hustle and grit.
“It’s a role that (Oladipo) has adjusted to pretty well,’’ Vucevic said. “He obviously gets more freedom in that second unit, playing pick-and-roll, driving in the paint and making plays. That’s his game, so it’s a good role for him.’’
Jerryd Bayless and Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks in scoring with 17 points each. Khris Middleton scored 15 points – 11 of them coming after halftime. Milwaukee ranked second in the NBA in defensive efficiency last season, but it has plummeted to 30th this season.
Milwaukee was without head coach Jason Kidd, who found out Friday afternoon following his team’s morning practice that he had been suspended from the game. Kidd was suspended one game without pay for “aggressively pursuing and confronting a game official, slapping the ball out of his hands and not leaving the court in a timely manner upon his ejection,’’ according to a release issued by the NBA. The incident occurred in the fourth quarter of Milwaukee’s 129-118 loss to Sacramento on Wednesday night.
Up six at the half, Orlando got 11 defensive stops on the first 12 possessions and unleashed a 3-point flurry on the Bucks. The Magic made 13 of 16 shots – including all six of their 3-point shots – to push their lead to 86-65 by the start of the fourth period. Fournier (eight points), Harris (seven points), Payton (seven points), Vucevic (seven points) and Frye (six points) combined to scored 35 of the 37 points in the period and make all six of the 3-point shots.
“The ball was flowing good for us,’’ Payton said. “Channing is a problem out there and guys have to respect his shooting ability and that creates a lot of open lanes for other Tobias, Evan and Vic.’’
The game was delayed a handful of minutes after the maintenance crew had to come out and work on one of the rims to level it after Milwaukee’s O.J. Mayo hung from the basket to loosen his arms and shoulders. Skiles feels that delay had something to do with a sluggish first half – one that Orlando led 49-43.
Orlando’s only trouble in the first half came when it was unable to keep the Bucks away from the rim. Of the Bucks’ 43 points in the first half, 38 came on either point-blank shots or free throws. Milwaukee’s only two jump shots in the first 24 minutes came on a 3-pointer by Bayless and a 15-footer by Middleton. Milwaukee scored 18 of its first 19 points in the paint and 26 of 36 at one point in the first half.
But the Magic came alive both offensively and defensively in the third and fourth quarters to get the win that guaranteed a winning record in November. Up next is a showdown against the surging Celtics and the game takes on added significance since the Magic can notch a winning record for the first time all season and the jumbled nature of the Eastern Conference standings.
“We have to win these kinds of games, especially against Boston,’’ Fournier said. “That’s going to be a team that we fight against if we want to get into the playoffs. This game (on Sunday) is going to be huge for us.’’
