Orlando Magic 105, Phoenix Suns 89
by Evan Dunlap on Nov 18, 2010 11:46 PM EST
in 2010/2011 Recaps
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PrintThe Orlando Magic coasted to a 91-59 lead through three quarters over the shorthanded Phoenix Suns on Thursday night, then floundered through an ugly final quarter to deal them a 105-89 defeat for their third consecutive win. Each Magic starter made at least five baskets and scored at least 13 points, led by Dwight Howard, who poured in 20 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-9 shooting in just 30 minutes. Without Robin Lopez, the Suns were forced to cover Howard with the likes of Channing Frye, Earl Barron, and Garret Siler, who simply could not contain the seven-time All-Star.
Quentin Richardson regained his outside shooting stroke, sinking 3 of his 7 three-pointers, while the Magic looked to establish slumping sharpshooter Rashard Lewis in the low post, and he responded with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including two fast-break jams. Former Magic forward Grant Hill led the Suns with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting with a series of nimble drives to the cup, but he proved to be the only Phoenix starter who really showed up tonight. Goran Dragic, starting at point guard in place of surefire Hall-of-Famer Steve Nash, committed 5 of his game-high 6 turnovers in the first period, setting the tone for a sloppy game in which it became immediately clear the Suns had no chance of sticking with Orlando.
The result shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Without Nash and Lopez, Phoenix is at least 16 points worse than the Magic on the road, particularly in the second night of a back-to-back set. Only the lopsided fourth period, in which the Suns' wacky second unit--small forward/glue guy Jared Dudley ran point guard, for example--badly outplayed Orlando's, made the score look even this respectable.
| Team | Pace | Efficiency | eFG% | FT Rate | OReb% | TO Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suns | 87 | 102.4 | 48.5% | 35.8 | 26.5 | 20.7 |
| Magic | 85 | 124.1 | 60.8% | 20.3 | 34.2 | 20.1 |
| Green denotes a stat better than the team's season average; red denotes a stat worse than the team's season average. | ||||||
To start, Phoenix has one of the league's worst defenses, but it did the Magic a favor with its series of live-ball turnovers, fueling Orlando's usually weak transition game. TNT microphones picked up Suns coach Alvin Gentry saying "there's no defense for turnovers" during a first-half timeout, and he's exactly right. The Suns had a slim margin for error in this game, given its poor defense and two missing starters, a margin they crossed in the first quarter en route to this blowout loss.
From the Magic's perspective, perhaps their own turnovers and spotty bench play are the only negatives. The reserves shot 9-of-30 from the floor for 29 points, with Mickael Pietrus accounting for 4 field goals and 10 points himself. Chris Duhon turned the ball over 5 times in 20 minutes. Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat at least managed to grab 11 boards, and some tough bounces partially explains their poor shooting. Still, Orlando's bench has enough raw talent that it should have steamrolled Phoenix's with relative ease. Earl Clark, whose fourth-year contract option the Suns did not see fit to exercise this summer, added 12 points and 6 boards in 16 minutes. Players of his caliber ought not perform so well against Orlando, blowout or not.
It's hard to find fault with the Magic's starters, that's for sure, though Lewis' sloppiness with the ball (4 turnovers) is worrisome. But Jameer Nelson dished a season-high 12 assists, just one shy of his career-best, while playing the same efficient, probing brand of ball that earned him an All-Star berth in 2009. Vince Carter scored a quiet 13 points. Howard drained two jumpers from the sideline logo over Siler in the third period alone. Richardson took advantage of Hill in the post. Great all-around work from the starting five.
The TNT crew of Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller kept wondering if the Magic might've been better off re-signing Hedo Turkoglu in 2009 rather than trading for Carter. Turkoglu, who spent the best years of his career with the Magic, missed all 8 of his shot attempts tonight and finished with 2 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, a steal, and 3 turnovers. I think we can safely put that discussion to bed now, no?
Orlando can run its winning streak to three games, and its overall record to 9-3, with a win Saturday night in Indianapolis.
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huh?
You can follow me on Twitter. Also run the @Amway_Get_Loud account.
http://twitter.com/JShannonhouse3
http://twitter.com/Amway_Get_Loud
What?
You can follow me on Twitter. Also run the @Amway_Get_Loud account.
http://twitter.com/JShannonhouse3
http://twitter.com/Amway_Get_Loud
A Suns fan wandered in here. That's all.
Please don't simply ignore the stats when making your case, 'cause "...your eyes lie to you sometimes..."
Stats Education::
Advanced Stats 101 @ MBN | Basketball Reference | Basketball Prospectus | 82games
by magicfaninTN on Nov 20, 2010 11:19 AM EST up reply actions
Solid victory
"1 - 2 - Freddy's coming for you, 3 - 4 - Better lock your door, 5 - 6 - Grab your crucifix, 7 - 8 - Better stay up late, 9 - 10 - Never sleep again..."
Yes, but...
However great Howard, Carter and Nelson played, Lewis is clearly STILL in some sort of “trip”; he missed two straight 3-pointers… COMPLETELY alone! Most of his points were at the rim or as a result of a fast break. Richardson and Bass did a good job and seemed to play in the flow of the game and Pietrus filled his role. But the Bench; including Anderson, was mediocre at best, and their rate of turnover and fouls was terrible. The Magic just kept sending Phoenix to the line in the fourth Qt and turning the ball over. That is disconcerting…
Also, if Howard is EVER going to have a PRAYER of a chance to even be considered for a League MVP Award, Van Gundy has to STOP pulling him out after just 20-25 minutes… especially after being benched for foul trouble once and for NO REASON another! I KNOW Van Gundy plays for the Team; I GET it. But, GEZZZ, GIVE THE KID A CHANCE to show what he’s capable of… You don’t see Lebron, or Wade get pulled like THAT, man! Otherwise NEITHER would have won the MVP!
Dwight played 30 minutes against Phoenix
29:56, to be exact.
No reason to play him any more than that in such a blowout.
"Bear Down, Chicago Bears"...
Chicago Blackhawks... 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions
Orlando Magic... 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Champions
by Mike from Illinois on Nov 19, 2010 2:01 AM EST up reply actions
really?
up by 24 with 7 minutes to go and the starting PG and C were still in against PHX’s third string? I’d say he should of been pulled sooner. from my point of view hill should of also been pulled sooner. that game was not worth the risk.
"I feel younger almost every year. I feel like I'm getting better every year. I feel like the season gets easier for me the last two years." Steve Nash
For me...
a championship is far more important than D12 winning MVP. And if he were to get hurt in some fluke accident (in garbage time, or anytime for that matter) we would have zero chance of winning a championship.
"If we’re scheduled to play tonight, we’re scheduled to win tonight." -Vince Carter
by TheOtherWhiteMeat on Nov 19, 2010 8:35 AM EST up reply actions
That's exactly right
And that’s why coaches pull their stars out. Wins > stats.
Data for Lewis' night:
In 34 Minutes of Play:
13 Points…6-9 shooting, 1-2 from 3pt…True Shooting @ 72%
3 Rebounds (all defensive)
2 Steals
4 Turn-Overs
While not a high-volume, he certainly was an efficent scorer. About what we expect on the boards, and the 2 steals are nice to see (active hands). His only real issue was 4 TOs.
Not a “great” night, but certainly a step in the right direction.
by The BBQ Chicken Madness on Nov 19, 2010 3:09 PM EST up reply actions
The Magic are sadly making an OVER effort to get him easy looks.
It’s an attempt to ease his tension and quell the frustrations of easily fooled fans. You’re not one are you?
by Matty B on Nov 19, 2010 5:26 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
You know better ways to get a shooter out of a slump ?
Or you think that the Magic don’t need Rashard ? And do you really think that SVG cares much about fooling the fans ?
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
How dare the Magic try to get their players easy looks?
They should be challenging Lewis by giving him bad low-percentage shots!
You mess with the 4-out/1-in, you get the Horns.
Over the opposing team’s 5 yet!
Thats how ya get ’em going!
by David Polega on Nov 19, 2010 8:55 PM EST up reply actions
I can't sign off on this post at all, for reasons stated above.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
Best game of the season by far from the entire Magic starting five
I didn’t see much of the game because my attention was focused on the Bears/Dolphins game Thursday night, but I looked at the box score and saw how impressive the starting five were. The Magic starting five combined for 76 points on 31 of 44 shooting (70.5%), including 8 for 16 on three pointers for an eFG% of 79.5% and a TS% of 76.4%. The only thing they didn’t do well was free throw shooting (6 of 13, 46.2%). They also had 17 assists along with 6 steals.
It’s not too disconcerting to me that the bench did not play well in the final quarter; they weren’t really needed because the starters were so dominant and put the game away in the third quarter. There will be games the starting five struggle as a unit and the reserves will come in and play much better.
Good night for me… not only did the Magic dominate against Phoenix, the Bears dominated Miami and are now in first place by themselves in the NFC North :-)
"Bear Down, Chicago Bears"...
Chicago Blackhawks... 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions
Orlando Magic... 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Champions
by Mike from Illinois on Nov 19, 2010 1:57 AM EST reply actions
Rashard Lewis had not 1 but 2,yes 2 dunks during the game !
I don’t even remember that happening the last two years. He also had some pretty silly turnovers but I think SVG might have a point in that he lets his slump affect his game in general. I don’t think it’s a question of effort.
I hope that the Magic will improve their 4rth quarters in the games to come and I thought that Duhon would have an opportunity to get some decent numbers last night but I was really disappointed by him. Maybe he’ll do it over the Spurs, who knows. Good game by the starters. Keep it up VC.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
BTW last year, we were the best team in the league in 4th quarter margin.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
i was gonna post that ive never seen Lewis dunk twice in a game......not even in 2K11
Never trust a fart
by AB's triple double on Nov 19, 2010 10:02 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, that was my first reaction from the game hah.
Second was just how bad Phoenix is if Nash isn’t playing.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
We might have to rename the blog to something along the lines of “Fourth Quarter Collapse” if this crap keeps up (lol)… how will the magic ever learn to keep a big lead? starters or not they should not get outscored in the fourth like that
Ugh...I'm also a Suns fan.
I watched part of the game where the Suns got beat down by Miami, and knew they looked tired. When I saw a back-to-back with the Magic next, I knew it would be a rough one for them. With Nash and Lopez out…I’m really glad I had a friend from out of town over, so I only saw about 2 minutes of the warm up routine. I’m glad the Magic won, but the part of me that grew up in AZ sure is bummed today. The Suns are like my “hometown” team, so it’s never fun watching an expected destruction of them (and one that takes them down to .500, no less).
At least the Magic are starting to get a little better, it sounds like. Lewis’ slump and sloppy play is still disturbing, and I really wish we had a better idea of what was going on with him. And the bench should play better – though I think the Suns do have a better bench than they get credit for.
by The BBQ Chicken Madness on Nov 19, 2010 8:00 AM EST reply actions
Chris Duhon - big mistake?
Saw that stretch in the 4th quarter when Duhon turned the ball over on 3 consecutive possessions. I’m still waiting for him to show up this year and while we’re only 11 games into his first year with the Magic, I’m starting to believe he’s really not going to help the team very much – especially at playoff time…
I'm a guy, too!
Looking forward to the shortest off-season ever - next year!!
Again, who is this Duhon guy everybody seems to talk about?
My sources tell me he’s some kind of special Olympics player, I’m not sure about that though
Anderson did "ok" in his garbage minutes...
Anderson in 9 min:
6 points, 2 rebounds (1O, 1D), 1 stl, 0 TOs, 1 blk, and 3 PFs
His shot still isn’t falling, going 1-5 from t he field with 2 missed 3s (44.4 TS%)…but he got 4 at the FT line. Certainly not filling up the stat sheet…but not terrible. If he can get his shot to start falling again, he might be able to work back into the rotation if Bass has a few off nights of if they really need to spread the floor.
by The BBQ Chicken Madness on Nov 19, 2010 10:31 AM EST reply actions
Anderson needs to work on maintaining his own confidence.
You could tell he was pressing at times, and hesitant at others. Not “letting the game come to him”, as the saying goes.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
There are certain pills like the blue one called "Viagra" for confidence
He should give it a shot.
Yep... his stats were eerily similar to Bass'.
Of course, it was garbage time, so who knows? And I wouldn’t say either one of them had a good game last night.
You mess with the 4-out/1-in, you get the Horns.
Yeah, that's why I didn't compare to Bass.
Bass had 20 min. to play, scored less (5 pts), only had 5 rebounds, same stl/blks, and a TO.
But I have no idea who they were playing against. If they were comparable lines, then Anderson had a much better night than Bass, efficency-wise…but if it was Bass vs. MostlyStarters and Anderson vs. ThirdStringers, then it kind of evens out.
by The BBQ Chicken Madness on Nov 19, 2010 3:00 PM EST up reply actions
I was really happy to see the win when I came home last night :)
even if we did play a poor fourth quarter. Good job, boys! \o/
I'm a girl.
This was a good win.
But the match was not the test we all expected it to be due to Nash and Lopez not being able to play, and PHO being on the second night of a back to back. The next test before meeting MIA is the game at SA.
Pacers also might be a decent defensive challenge.
Not that they’ll go 20/21 any time soon again, but they had good games lately.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Yeah; I don't think that SVG will let them overlook Indy
"Bear Down, Chicago Bears"...
Chicago Blackhawks... 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions
Orlando Magic... 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Champions
by Mike from Illinois on Nov 19, 2010 7:11 PM EST up reply actions
jameer nelson thats wat i like to see
also i give credit to pietrus who didnt really play earlier in the season had patience and is playin good l liked how quentin was aggressive i know jameer and dwights minutes in this game were limited due to a blowout but in other games i would like to see both of them play more minutes jameer=29mins dwight=32
Oh yeah this team looks so good with Jameer looking for people and gobbling up assists
It just looks different… but if anything, everything was great with the starters on the floor in this game.
Jameer can't pass the ball rabble rabble rabble
Jameer is averaging basically 18 and 8 per 36 minutes so far this season, shooting over 48% (42.9% 3PT). Very comparable to his All-Star half-year (his PER is actually slightly higher), so it’s safe to say that Jameer is back.
Great 3 quarters of defense, even without Nash. It’s unfortunate that the human mind just cannot keep up the same kind of intensity when the minutes are meaningless, making a dominant defensive game seem merely very good.
Finally, Reggie Miller might have set back basketball analysis by 15 years with his moronic commentary last night. For someone who was such a great trash talker and interviewee back in the day, he is terrible at color commentary.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
by slickw143 on Nov 19, 2010 2:21 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
What?
No love for Jamil Nelson & Dwayne Wayne?
No love for the canning of advanced stats because they’re “confusing”?
No love for VC & Rashard not getting it done in the playoffs, Dwight not being a dominant enough force (offesively speaking of course because defense, ya know, doesn’t count) and the exclusion of Jamil Nelson as a viable #2 option?
I’m disappoint…
"It can be done, you can just crush somebody" -svg
I just punched a second bunny after you made me relive those moments.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
we played great yesterday we need to play that way every game
by Orlando Magic Fan 1 on Nov 19, 2010 3:39 PM EST reply actions
check this out guys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vwQqBTVOwI
VC’s highlights so far this year..prettty fun to watch
Impressions
Overall, a good game (disregarding the 4th quarter where it seemed the Magic players weren’t trying). However, it is important to note that we played the Suns without Nash, Lopez, and on the 2nd game of a back to back
Positives:
1.) Vince Carter- man this guy looks like hes back…he is shooting the ball real well, he seems like hes in better shape than last year, and I dont see him grimicing in pain for no reason anymore (so far). I really think hes on a mission this year
2.) Rashard Lewis- he’s starting to look a little more active out there, and even sprinted to get 2 fast break dunks…his shot is still a little off tho (he bricked a wide open 3…i understand missing a wide open 3, but bricking it is a little concerning)
3.) Jameer Nelson- this is the type of PG play we need on this team..If he can up his assists to around 7-8 per game, and his scoring at around 15ppg, it will help everyone on the team tremendously. Plus he was able to connect with Dwight on some allyoops (in the past, it seemed like he would throw it too high or be off in timing with Dwight)…0 turnovers is just amazing too
4.) Quentin Richardson- he’s starting to look like he’s comfortable in our system. Im glad SVG finally made the RIGHT decision to create a set lineup so that guys like Q, MP, and Bass won’t have to worry about what their role will be each game. Plus I liked Q’s post up ability, and ability to finish when driving on a fast break
5.) Dwight Howard- ENOUGH SAID!!!! Loved the bank shots too..keep it up Superman!
6.) MP- continues to be a great spark off the bench in terms of defense and scoring…I’m real happy he’s playing minutes again as I think he’s one of our most clutch players
Negatives:
1.) Chris Duhon- this guy needs to start shooting with confidence. He shot the 3 ok as a member of the Knicks, but it seems like hes even too scared to shoot a wide open 3. He needs to gain more confidence in shooting wide open 3s, and stop turning the ball over as much
Duhon had a great passing game.
It might be time to lay off him… yeah, it would be nice if he shot the ball, but the most important thing is whether he is directing the offense and getting assists. And he’s doing that, so let’s not heap too much pressure on him, okay?
You mess with the 4-out/1-in, you get the Horns.
That was kind of an easy game, he could have done better and you know
that we’ll need some kind of offense out of him sooner or later. I wouldn’t call last night a great passing game vs that Suns team though and besides, we need at least one guy to pick on. Plenty of games ahead.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
People tend to overlook Duhon's assists
…and focus on his 30% FG shooting and 37% TS%; but you’re right, he is doing a nice job of getting assists at the rate of 6.6 per 36 minutes with a better than 2/1 AST/TO ratio. Also, in his first start when Nelson was out, Duhon had a terrific 9/0 AST/TO ratio.
No one’s happy about his shooting, but just two seasons ago he had a TS% of 57%, so his shooting will come around, hopefully sooner rather than later.
As long as Duhon can continue to direct the offense decently and limit turnovers, that’s the main thing.
"Bear Down, Chicago Bears"...
Chicago Blackhawks... 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions
Orlando Magic... 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Champions
by Mike from Illinois on Nov 19, 2010 7:30 PM EST up reply actions
Don't be fooled by what Lewis did...
He wasn’t horrible but the team is obviously going above and beyond to baby spoon feed him easy Gerber shots. He still didn’t hit from outside like he should and he still showed little effort on defense. Grant hill took a flat footed shot over him that Jameer could have blocked but Rashard made no effort.
Note to Even. The TNT broadcasters spent most of the night trashing Hedo. Mentioning how badly he’s struggled since he left Orlando and basically agreed with us for not offering to match the inflated contract Toronto gave him. Not sure where you heard the opposite. Even old shiny jacket chimed in to say “We’ve been bashing Hedo pretty hard”.
by Matty B on Nov 19, 2010 5:35 PM EST via mobile reply actions
IF he doesn't shoot 20-20 from the field, every game with 9 threes.
TRADE HIM.
who would of thought we would be arguably the greatest of all time
around here we developed such a sound down here
but duplicate it off the steel it can only be found here
They /should/ be trying to give him easy shots. They /should/ be trying to get /everyone/ easy shots.
I’m not sure why putting a player in a position to succeed is a bad idea.
Because then he’s not being SUPER SHARD!
by David Polega on Nov 19, 2010 9:21 PM EST up reply actions
LOL SUPER SHARD
who would of thought we would be arguably the greatest of all time
around here we developed such a sound down here
but duplicate it off the steel it can only be found here
Not a bad idea and I never said it was.
They did and will continue to try to spoon feed Rashard until his shooting percentage starts to improve. AGAIN, not saying that’s a bad idea or mistake. I’ve learned from commenting on here that I must spoon feed some of you my words or risk stunning misinterpretation. I’m nearly saying don’t be fooled into thinking Rashard is back on track because he had a decent game. That makes two decent games this season for the 2nd highest paid player in the #%*$ing league. The day we should stop giving him a hard time is the day he gets his averages to 16pts, 7rebs, 1blk, and 4 assists as well as regular all out hustle!!! That’s the minimum for a player of his ability and yet still substandard for a player with that payrate.
by Matty B on Nov 20, 2010 12:42 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Who won come tess me? Recognize superior skills in all forms and learn from me.
by Matty B on Nov 20, 2010 12:47 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
If a player can be, um, "spoon fed" high-percentage shots, um, that's an effective player.
Of course he’s going to have to do it consistently. But I don’t get why you’re so incensed that the Magic are running plays to get high-percentage shots for Rashard, and he’s converting them at a high percentage.
You mess with the 4-out/1-in, you get the Horns.
Mars? I imagine that lowered gravity would really screw up his timing. But on the other hand, his vert there is incredible.
"I'm a Rashard Lewis Apologist."
miscatched?
lol I’m sorry…lololol sorry sorry
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Nov 22, 2010 8:23 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah I knew that.
B/c he can’t throw a pass over a defender in the PnR.
-SEMINOLES-;;-►
ORL★NDO M★GIC
by Blood, Sugar, Sex, ORLANDO Magic on Nov 20, 2010 11:41 AM EST reply actions
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