ORLANDO, FL – The Orlando Magic (28-30) dropped a game they should have won against the Memphis Grizzlies (37-19), 105-104 at the Kia Center on Friday night.
Leading by nine with 4 ½ minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Magic missed their final six field goal attempts, including a potential game-winning floater by Paolo Banchero. just before the buzzer.
Orlando faltered late in the game, but still had a chance to close it out in the final minutes. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out, as we’ll discuss later.
Orlando had a strong overall performance, especially defensively.
The Magic held the Grizzlies to 21% from the 3-point line, a Memphis strength. Orlando limited them to 7-for-33, keeping the game close.
Orlando also managed to contain Memphis’s fast breaks, holding them to only nine, taking away another key strength.
For the Magic, Franz Wagner led the scoring with 25 points, followed by Paolo Banchero with 21, including 13 from the free throw line.
Cole Anthony scored 17 points, including two clutch 3-pointers when the Magic needed them.
Wendell Carter Jr. had another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 23 points, followed by Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. with 16 points each.
The Memphis bench outscored Orlando 41-22, keeping the Grizzlies in the game.
Morant led the Grizzlies’ comeback, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter and hitting clutch shots at the end.
Orlando had an opportunity in the final 10 seconds when Santi Aldama missed two free throws, and Paolo Banchero took the ball up the court.
Carter Jr. and other Magic players signaled for a timeout, but Banchero dribbled the ball up the court, running into a three-man Grizzlies defense. With seconds left, Banchero attempted a contested shot that was blocked by Jackson Jr., ending the game.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley took the blame for the lack of communication.
“That’s on me, that is completely on me,” said Mosley. “We put Goga (Bitadze) in the game to go rebound [and call] timeout. And if you noticed there was a guy signaling timeout and I, we didn’t get the call. And so, by that point, we had put the ball on the ground. So, in that moment, you can try to advance it and get it over. And then in that moment you just say okay. If you can get a shot with that momentum going down when they’re off balance, you get the quick look. That’s on me.”
Orlando remains at home and will face the Washington Wizards at the Kia Center on Sunday.
