Orlando Magic News for January 2nd: Jameer Nelson Faces a Test in Tonight's Game Against the Chicago Bulls; Matt Barnes Earns Praise from Stan Van Gundy

Jameer Nelson looked sharp against Minnesota — now comes another test
Josh Robbins states that Jameer Nelson faces a test against the Chicago Bulls - how will his knee hold up in the second game of a back-to-back?

Orlando Magic pull out a New Year's Day victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves
Matt Barnes earns praise from head coach Stan Van Gundy.

On Friday night, Barnes kept the Magic close with the Minnesota Timberwolves until the fourth quarter, when his teammates finally followed his lead and broke open a close game for a 106-94 victory before an eerily silent announced crowd of 17,065 at Target Center.

Barnes scored 17 points and added 11 rebounds and showed the kind of all-out energy that prompted coach Stan Van Gundy to elevate him to the starting lineup in recent days.

"He's the only guy on our team who runs, first of all," Van Gundy said afterward. "Nobody else will run. Everybody else jogs. He runs. So, he stands out and he's different from our other guys because he cuts and he will try to rebound the ball all the time."

Orlando Magic notes: Magic players shake their heads over report about Wizards players pulling guns on each other
Marcin Gortat chimes in on Gilbert Arenas' gun story.

A bizarre report published Friday by the New York Post was "probably the most talked-about thing in the NBA," according to Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.

The Post reported that Washington Wizards teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton drew guns on each other over a gambling debt on Christmas Eve in the team's locker room. Arenas has dismissed the report. [...]

"I've heard about some teammates [on other teams] fighting, but to pull the guns on each other, I've never heard of stuff like that," Magic C Marcin Gortat said.

Kobe vs. LeBron: A Statistical Look at Their Impacts on Teammates
OPP Guest Contributor Jon Nichols has joined the excellent New York Times NBA blog, Off the Dribble, and takes a look at the statistical impacts of Kobe and LeBron on their teammates (via Hardwood Paroxysm). Make sure to check it out because it's a great read.