By John Denton
Nov. 25, 2015
ORLANDO – In explaining to Victor Oladipo why he was changing the Orlando Magic’s starting lineup for Wednesday night’s game, head coach Scott Skiles assured the standout guard that there wasn’t necessarily “a permanence” to the decision.
That is, Skiles said later with a semi-jokingly chuckle, unless the move worked wonders on balancing the Magic’s first and second units and they ripped off a string of victories. After all, Skiles – and Oladipo, for that matter – just wants what will help the Magic win games.
As is so often the case, the player demoted from the starting lineup – Oladipo – turned out to figure prominently in the game. Orlando’s standout guard played with an edge and a newfound energy all night long, scoring a season-high 24 points and drilling 13 free throws to lead the Magic to a 100-91 defeat of the New York Knicks.
Playing off the bench for the first time since early last season when he was returning from a facial fracture, Oladipo stayed in attack mode all night and kept constant pressure on the Knicks (8-8) with his assaults on the rim. Oladipo made 13 of 15 free throws – nine of those makes coming in the second half. That easily outdistanced his previous season high of four free throw makes in a game.
Orlando (7-8) also got strong efforts from Nikola Vucevic (22 points and 12 rebounds), Tobias Harris (17 points and 10 rebounds), Elfrid Payton (12 points, 11 assists and six rebounds), Jason Smith (eight points and three rebounds) and Andrew Nicholson (seven points off the bench) to snap a two-game losing streak. The Magic have won five of the last six at the Amway Center.
The Magic shot just 39.5 percent from the floor, but they smothered the Knicks to the tune of 37.3 percent shooting. Orlando surged ahead 89-74 late in the fourth and coasted home for the victory.
New York lost for a second straight time in Florida following a recent four-game winning streak. The Knicks cost themselves with 4:30 to play when Carmelo Anthony (28 points and 13 rebounds) was whistled for technical foul. Anthony was pulled from the game with 1:28 to play and New York down 98-86.
Following puzzling efforts against Sacramento and Cleveland, Skiles made the decision to juggle the lineup in hopes to bringing more balance to the first and second units. Even though he’s been Orlando’s best defender all season, Oladipo was moved to the second unit – a move that had an effect on others. It allowed the Magic to get more 3-point shooting on the floor in the form of Channing Frye, while it moved Harris and Evan Fournier back to their natural positions at small forward and shooting guard. And because Oladipo makes any unit he’s a part of with his toughness and explosiveness, the hope was that the guard could make the Magic’s reserves more athletic and effective.
Wednesday’s game was the Amway Center debut for 7-foot-3 rookie Kristaps Porzingis, who worked out in Orlando for the Magic prior to last June’s NBA Draft and was selected by New York with the No. 4 pick. The big man blocked three shots in his first eight minutes on the floor and played a big role in Orlando missing seven of its first 10 shots in the paint. He finished with eight points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
Jose Calderon chipped in 25 points and four 3-pointers for the Knicks, who failed to crack 40 percent shooting over the final three quarters of the game.
Wednesday also served as a homecoming for former Magic players Kyle O’Quinn (four points and four rebounds) and Aaron Afflalo (10 points). O’Quinn, a second-round pick in 2012 by Orlando, spent the past three seasons with the Magic before heading to the Knicks in a sign-and-trade deal in July. Afflalo played in Orlando from 2012-14, but was traded for Evan Fournier – the player he matched up against most of Wednesday night.
The Magic will be off on Thursday, but the franchise will continue its long-standing tradition of giving back to those in need on Thanksgiving. For a 23rd straight year, the Magic serve breakfast at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. CEO Alex Martins, players C.J. Watson and Devyn Marble, Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw and dozens of staffers are scheduled to serve breakfast to approximately 700 homeless men, women and children on Thursday morning at the Coalition.
The Magic will be back at the Amway Center on Friday for a home game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Following another home game on Sunday versus the Boston Celtics, the Magic will depart for a 10-day road trip.
Orlando took a 72-63 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to some inspired play in the third by Oladipo and Vucevic. Oladipo scored eight in the third – three of them coming when he blew past Sasha Vujacic and finished at the rim as he was fouled by O’Quinn. Meanwhile, Vucevic – who missed five of his first six shots and had two of them swatted – scored 10 in the third period on a variety of jump shots over Robin Lopez.
The Magic’s lineup change didn’t help their shooting early on, but they still managed to lead the Knicks 46-35 at the half thanks to some aggressive play on both ends of the floor.
Outscored badly from the free throw line this season, Orlando got to the stripe 14 times in the first half and made 12 of those tries. Nine of those makes came from Harris and Oladipo as both players were clearly intent on taking the ball to the rim.
That work at the free throw line allowed the Magic to overcome 32.7 percent shooting in the first half. Porzingis was everywhere swatting shots in the game’s first 8 minutes and the Magic made just four of their first 16 shot attempts. But a 17-4 burst spread out over the end of the first period and the start of the second quarter provided Orlando a double-digit lead that it held the rest of the half.
Frye had just one field goal in the first half, but just the threat of him being perched out at the 3-point line created driving lanes for others. Harris, who looked much more comfortable back at his natural position of small forward, went right at Anthony on the game’s first possession for a three-point play and he was dazzling in an 11-point, seven-rebound first half.
The Magic’s defense smothered the Knicks in the first half, holding them to 29.3 percent shooting and two-of-10 accuracy from beyond the 3-point line.
