Gordon relives, learns from bad game

WASHINGTON — Aaron Gordon forced himself to do something Thursday he didn’t enjoy. He watched film of the Orlando Magic’s loss the night before to the Milwaukee Bucks — a defeat in which he missed his final 12 shot attempts en route to a 4-of-18 shooting night.

Gordon not only took a bunch of ill-advised shot attempts, but he also compounded the problem by failing to involve his teammates in the offense.

“After a bad game, I don’t like to watch the film, but I know that I have to,” Gordon said.

“It’s kind of like you make yourself cringe by some of the plays that you make during the game. But if I don’t like the way that I’m playing, then I’ll go back and watch film. So I watched four games … because I just didn’t really like the way that the game felt against Milwaukee, and I needed to see why, to see myself from a spectator [perspective], just to see it a little bit more objectively. That’s what I saw: I wasn’t creating enough for my teammates.”

After the loss in Milwaukee, coach Frank Vogel sat down one-on-one with Gordon and discussed some specific plays that Gordon could have approached differently.

Gordon, who is in his fourth NBA season, finds himself in a bit of a difficult spot these days. With

Nikola Vucevic injured, all Magic players need to do more to make their offense productive. Gordon at times tries a bit too hard to make an impact, and he must learn to strike a balance between revving up his production and helping to make his teammates better. It’s a difficult progression for many young players to make, and Gordon is no exception.

When he watched the video of the game in Milwaukee, he saw instances in which he could have done better. He might have gotten into the lane more often, come to a jump stop and then passed to an open teammate.

Vogel has said several times that Gordon’s heart is in the right place when he attempts to take over games.

“You’ve just got to make sure you’re doing it the right way,” Vogel said. “Sometimes certain players can elevate their game and make some difficult shots. That’s part of being a competitor. But when it doesn’t go well and you’re not making shots, it has a counterproductive effect. The best approach when a team is down is to create and just really attack; will yourself by getting everybody involved.”

A special visit

The Magic did some sightseeing Friday during their final trip this season to the nation’s capital.

Players, coaches and support staff visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial following their morning shootaround.

The memorial features a granite statue of the great civil rights leader, with his arms folded. The Magic posed for a photo in front of the statue.

“It was definitely a cool experience,” Magic rookie

Wes Iwundu said. “It was really heartfelt because of all the quotes on the stone out there. It was big time, a part of history.”

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday, will fall on Monday.

“It’s just good for our guys to keep a big picture and continue to be enlightened about the world,” Vogel said. “Obviously, sadly, there’s far too much racial injustice in our country, and he stood for a lot. It’s an important day. He’s an important part of our history, and I thought it was great for our guys to go over and experience it.”

Well wishes

Magic rookies sang “Happy Birthday” to Sid

Powell, the Magic’s director of team operations, after the team’s shootaround Friday morning.