Magic v. Bulls Game Recap

The Orlando Magic (29-35) suffered a loss of 125-123 to the Chicago Bulls (25-38) at home Thursday night. Here is what ultimately lead to this outcome.

The Bulls

The Bulls secured the win over the Magic, propelled by Coby White‘s career-high 44-points performance. White was effective, shooting 16 for 28 from the field and 7 for 15 from the 3-point range. He scored Chicago’s final nine points, including a crucial three where Tre Jones sprinted out of the backcourt, got into the paint and passed to White for his seventh three, pushing the Bulls’ lead to 123-121 with 2:18 left. White has been on an offensive run over the Bulls previous four games. The former Tar Heel has scored at least 24 points in each.

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1898002296505807004

Josh Giddey contributed with 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, narrowly missing a triple-double. Tre Jones added 20 points and the Bulls capitalized on the Magic’s 18 turnovers, converting it into 25 points.

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1898015543052910997

The Magic

Despite a strong shooting performance from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who scored 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting,  and Paolo Banchero‘s 20-point, nine-rebound effort, the team struggled. Defensively, it allowed White to dominate, particularly in the last minutes of the game, and failed to capitalize on late-game opportunities, including a missed shot with 14 second left on the clock. This defeat marks their fifth consecutive home loss, highlighting on going challenges in closing out tight games. 

What’s Next

For the two teams, there is a lot to look forward to in the season, especially with the Magic and Bulls neck and neck in the Eastern Conference standings. Both teams still have 18 games remaining in the season with the Magic traveling to Milwaukee (36-25) on Saturday with tipoff set for 8 p.m. The Bulls will travel again to the Miami Heat (29-32) to play on Saturday at 8 p.m.