Even if the Magic has not been in top form in recent weeks, Jamahl Mosley's team remains a solid team, and tonight, it was the Suns who paid the price after a stunning match!
In the first half, Phoenix was able to display its superiority and mastery, with Devin Booker who seemed to gain strength as the match progressed to ensure a gap which rose to +13 (26-39). But Orlando did not give up and was rewarded with a 9-2 initiated by the Wagner-Banchero pair and concluded by an alley-oop from Wendell Carter Jr (43-45). Devin Booker then had to work to keep Phoenix in the lead at the break (51-56).
The Suns still seemed to be managing their lead, with Devin Booker sometimes unplayable, until everything ended up changing, on a 3-pointer from Joe Ingles and a 2+1 from Paolo Banchero to equalize at 80-80 at the very end of the third quarter. It's as if something had just clicked, and Orlando had just realized that the match was within their reach. The rest was grandiose on their part, with a display of aggression on both sides of the floor and a crazy series that only ended when the Suns were out of harm's way.
Concretely, it was a 21-2 launched by a 2+1 from Moritz Wagner which signaled the beginning of the end for the Arizona franchise, going from +3 in the score to… -16! The Floridians chained together decisive actions, with the Wagner brothers at the helm, each in their own style, but also Paolo Banchero, as well as a very great Jonathan Isaac (110-94). This time, Phoenix could no longer come back, and the Magic was able to win without trembling at the end (113-98).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The DNA of the Magic, the hallmark of the Eastern Conference. Stars aren't everything and that's also the case in the NBA. Facing the Suns' Beal-Booker-Durant “Big Three”, Orlando remained faithful to its identity and the “historical” DNA of the rougher Eastern teams, thus compensating for their talent “deficit”. As a symbol, we will remember three defensive actions which sent Phoenix spinning in the last act, and which perfectly illustrate this culture of “gnaque” put in place by Jamahl Mosley. First there were Jonathan Isaac's wandering hands which ended up driving KD crazy and leading to a lost ball. In the process, at 92-92, there was a huge block from Anthony Black on Bradley Beal followed by an interception. Finally, there was this monstrous pressure in the corner of the Wagner brothers which pushed Devin Booker to lose the ball.
– Mo Wagner’s construction site. The Magic pivot took advantage of the absence of Jusuf Nurkic (touched in the thumb) to outrageously dominate in the paint. At the end of the match, he multiplied the decisive actions, managing to finish strong on serves from Cole Anthony or his brother Franz, or even to gobble up precious rebounds, to finish with 16 points and 12 holds in 23 minutes, and the best +/- of the match, at +20.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
