The Orlando have been on a run. Discipline, Balanced scoring, movement and passing are becoming the signature of this year’s Orlando Magic team. These principles plus a tough and gritty defense have led the Magic to a 17-12 record so far this season.
The Magic have defeated Charlotte (113-98), Portland (102-94), The Knicks (107-99), and Houston (104-101) in the last week. They did have a lapse in their intensity and suffered a loss to Atlanta in Atlanta (103-100).
Old demons almost resurfaced against Houston as well. The Magic had a 13 point lead in the third quarter and had a 87+-74 lead going into the fourth. The Rockets battled back with scoring by Harden, Ty Lawson and a couple of emphatic dunks by Howard sparked the Rockets to a late run. They eventually lead the game with 20+ seconds left 101-100, but Evan Fournier scored the game winning basket with an aggressive drive to the hoop.
The Magic players realize that they have room for improvement despite the win. “We won the game, but the way we did it, I thought we could’ve done it a little better,” Fournier said.
The Magic will Practice in Christmas Eve, Take Christmas off, and Face the Miami Head at the Amway Center on Dec 26th.
