Seeing his teammate show his frustration, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope came to high five him. In isolation against Damian Lillard, Jalen Suggs had just missed a winning shot 12 seconds from the end to put his team, trailing by one point, back in front of the Bucks.
Two free throws later from the Bucks leader, a real strong man in his team's “money time”, the Orlando leader/back inherited another good opportunity after a time-out.
Jalen Suggs came off Wendell Carter Jr's screen, but his shot fell too short. His right knee already bleeding, the Magic player remained frozen for long seconds with his hands behind his lowered head, even more frustrated. Milwaukee will end up winning by five points (114-109).
“ It was a great action, a great system designed by Moses (Jamahl Mosley) for me and it really hurts. Good night or bad, it doesn't matter, I like to win and not let my brothers down. It's hard because I feel like I let them down “, still regrets Jalen Suggs at press conference.
His teammates will probably not be too angry with him, as he has given so much of himself to give his team a chance to win. “ We fought, we played hard, we faced adversity. I am proud of all the members of the squad for that. And it hurts to know that I had an opportunity knowing that everyone did what they could », he said again.
What his coach expects of him
While the Magic played without their two best players, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs took on as much responsibility as possible. Particularly in this fiery last quarter during which he scored 18 points, to finish with 32 units (12/26 including 3/11 from distance), a new career record, 9 rebounds and 4 interceptions.
“ This is what we need from him, and we will continue to ask a lot of him, just like the rest of the group. To continue to defend, play hard, night after night to give us the opportunity to win some of these games », notes Jamahl Mosley who had no doubt that his player was capable of making the last shots.
The technician, despite the defeat and elimination of his players in the NBA Cup, would like his players “ understand what they just did from an effort perspective. Facing two Hall of Famers, a very experienced team… We're not going to apologize for having players absent. »
He ends: “ In those moments, that’s when possessions count, that’s when mental focus counts. But I couldn't be more proud of their effort, their energy, their cohesion throughout the match. This shows that this team is progressing and understands how well they can continue to perform. »
| Jalen Suggs | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | ENT | 48 | 27 | 36.1 | 21.4 | 77.3 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 11.8 |
| 2022-23 | ENT | 53 | 24 | 41.9 | 32.7 | 72.3 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 9.9 |
| 2023-24 | ENT | 75 | 27 | 47.1 | 39.7 | 75.6 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 12.6 |
| 2024-25 | ENT | 25 | 30 | 41.2 | 32.0 | 92.1 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 16.0 |
| Total | 201 | 27 | 42.0 | 33.1 | 77.8 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 12.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
