Coming off a brutal 23-point loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Orlando Magic closed the four-game road trip with a hardfought 110-106 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. What were a few of our takeaways?! Let’s examine!
Anthony Black picks up right where he left off:
Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
You couldn’t tell it was the second night of a back-to-back for Anthony Black, who was one of the best players in their 23-point loss to Golden State the night before.
Black opened scoring 11 of the team’s first 15 points, including three triples. He finished the game with a team-high 22 points with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. His overall efficiency left a little to be desired, but he canned four 3-pointers and was impacting the game in every which way.
There’s not much else to say with how he’s continued to grow this season. Growth isn’t linear, and he’s the perfect example of that.
Tyus Jones puts together best game of season:
Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
Tyus Jones’ rough start to the season is well documented at this point. He entered Tuesday averaging just 2.7 points through 29 games. However, for whatever it’s worth, he had his best game of the season in their win against Portland.
Jones opened the night making each of his first four baskets, including three from beyond the arc. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and seven assists and zero turnovers.
He’s always been a calming presence wherever he’s been — but there was a certain confidence that he had tonight that he hasn’t for most of the season. The Magic ultimately needed every one of those baskets/assists, too.
Magic collectively hold off Blazers:
Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
It got hairy to begin the fourth quarter for Orlando. After once owning a 17-point lead, a 19-2 Blazers run — capped by Shaedon Sharpe’s pull-up jumper — gave them a 92-91 lead with 8:30 left.
The Magic, however, recaptured the lead without relinquishing it again. For every punch Portland threw, they threw two counters, with the biggest being Desmond Bane‘s potential game-saving block on Donovan Clingan with 12 seconds left.
He has a knack for the dramatic, doesn’t he?!
It was a strong response on the second night of a back-to-back, concluding the road trip an even 2-2. They return to the court Friday against the Charlotte Hornets at 7:00 p.m. EST.