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The Orlando Magic were able to get the best of the New Orleans Pelicans last night with an 89-82 win. Despite losing a 10-point lead after the first half, the Magic pulled off a close win.
Big Men
Without star power forward Anthony Davis to defend the paint, the Magic were able to take advantage and come out victorious. Magic head coach Frank Vogel said that the win was a good stepping stone but also mentions that the Pelicans were without their leading scorer. Davis sat out with a quadriceps injury.
The big men had all the magic last night as Serge Ibaka led the team in scoring with 16 points and center Nikola Vucevic added 10 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. Although the win was much needed, Vucevic said afterwards that the team has not been preforming at their best and as a result they have been struggling to get into a rhythm.
Some of those struggle are a direct result of the team being ranked dead last in the NBA for scoring and shooting percentage.
Good to get the win, but there's still work to do. 🏀 https://t.co/z5C0m0hkXM
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) November 17, 2016
Post Game Notes
- Even without Davis, Pelicans power forward Terrence Jones racked up similar numbers with 26 points and nine rebounds. Davis averages 30 points and 11 rebounds per game.
- Two of the five Magic starters scored below five points. One being Jeff Green, who did not score and only contributed with two rebounds and one assist.
- Magic power forward Aaron Gordon said in order to improve offensively, everyone must play their own role.
The Magic will look to improve on those issues when they play again on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks (2-8). Tip off is at 7 p.m.
