The Orlando Magic didn't have enough defense or three-point shooting to pick up a win against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, but overall offense wasn't a problem: the Magic scored 102.7 points per 100 possessions, a solid figure for them, in the 98-86 loss.
Good ball movement, as in the highlight clip above, kept Orlando in the game in the first half, after which it trailed by a single point. In this fairly simple play, J.J. Redick runs a high pick-and-roll with Nikola Vučević as Deron Williams and Kris Humphries defend. Orlando's three other players space the floor, with E'Twaun Moore on the right wing, Maurice Harkless in the right corner, and Andrew Nicholson patrolling the left baseline.
Redick drives to his right around Vučević's screen while Williams and Humphries attempt to trap the Duke product. Instead, Humphries loses his footing, allowing Vučević to roll unimpeded to the top of the key. Redick hits him with a pocket pass, prompting Reggie Evans to rotate over, leaving Nicholson open. Nicholson cuts to the basket and waits for Gerald Wallace, who had been covering Harkless, to swoop by before slamming the ball in two-handed.
It's an easy play which Orlando executes beautifully. It succeeds in large part because of Nicholson's patience. Had the rookie immediately tried to shoot after catching the pass from Vučević, Wallace would have rejected, or at least bothered, his offering. Instead, the 22-year-old from St. Bonaventure waits for Wallace to take himself out of the play, and then makes his move.
Nicholson isn't an exciting player, but he's an effective one, leading his team in points per minute and in True Shooting percentage through 15 games.
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