By John Denton
Nov. 27, 2015
ORLANDO – When the Orlando Magic and the Milwaukee Bucks meet tonight at 7 at the Amway Center, they will represent two teams heading in vastly different directions on the defensive end of the floor.
Since hiring new coach Scott Skiles, the Magic (7-8) have made one of the biggest jumps in the NBA defensively. Ranked 28th in the NBA in field goal percentage allowed (46.3 percent) and 25th in defensive efficiency (105.2 points per possession), Orlando has soared to fifth in field goal percentage allowed (42.4 percent) and 13th in defensive efficiency (100.4 points per 100 possessions).
“Playing defense is an easy formula to get wins in this league and it’s something that’s there for us that we know we can do,” Magic forward Tobias Harris said. “It’s really about how we start games (defensively) and our focus and pressure. We preached focus, pressure and energy in our last game (a win over New York), and when we have those things. We’re a tough team.”
The Magic will continue to bring their best defender, Victor Oladipo, off the bench tonight. On Wednesday, Oladipo played as a fully healthy reserve for the first time since the 2013-14 season and he played well. Given more chances to score and get to the rim with the second unit, Oladipo got to the free throw line 15 times (with 13 makes) and scored a season-best 24 points.
“It was different and something that I had to get used to during the game, but I just had to go out there and play my game,” Oladipo said. “I’ve just go to come in (off the bench tonight), do what I do and help my team win.”
Milwaukee will be pressed to turn around its season-long defensive struggles against the Magic.
Last season, the Bucks seemed to take on the persona of its then-first-year head coach Jason Kidd, by consistently playing lockdown defense. Milwaukee was the NBA’s surprise team last season, largely because it ranked fifth in the NBA in field goal percentage allowed (43.7 percent) and second in overall defensive efficiency (99.3 points per 100 possessions).
Milwaukee tinkered with its roster over the summer, signing Greg Monroe in free agency and losing defensive-minded players Zaza Pachulia, Ersan Ilyasova and Jared Dudley. That has been one of the reasons that the Bucks (6-9) have plummeted to last in the NBA in defensive efficiency (109.4 points per 100 possessions) and 26th in field goal percentage allowed (46.2 percent).
Orlando’s and Milwaukee’s most recent games show the differences in the way they have defended this season. Orlando smothered New York to the tune of 37.3 percent – the fourth time this season that it has held a foe to 40 percent-or-worse shooting. Meanwhile, the Bucks were gashed 129-118 by Sacramento. It was the fourth time in the past five games that Milwaukee has surrendered at least 115 points.
“New pieces and we’re a young team,” Kidd said of his team’s troubles. “Like anything, over the summer you lose some of the information like school. We have to review it. We weren’t one of the best defensive teams last year at the beginning of last year either. But we know we have to get better if we want any chance of winning these games.”
