Clifford says team will take every foe seriously
Chasing playoff berth, Magic have no room for error
It might seem like the perfect way for the Orlando Magic to start the post-all-star break portion of their schedule: playing host to the 14-win Chicago Bulls.
But the Magic said they could not care less if the Bulls are 14-44 (which they are) or 44-14. As they pursue a playoff berth, the Magic are vowing to treat every opponent the same from here on out.
Point guard D.J. Augustin said the Magic can’t – and won’t – take any foe lightly.
“At the end of the day, at this level every team — no matter what their record is —can beat you any given night,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re playing the last team in the East or the last team in the West.”
Magic coach Steve Clifford said any talk of his team having an “easy” schedule the rest of the way should immediately be dismissed.
“If you understand this league, there’s no easy schedule,” Clifford said. “There’s a less difficult schedule, maybe, but to win a game in this league is hard.”
Friday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. at Amway Center and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Florida.
Veteran swingman Evan Fournier said the Magic can’t look at any team’s win-loss record as an
indicator of how difficult or easy a game might appear to be. Instead, they must remain focused on playing the kind of basketball that has produced seven victories in the past eight games – including a five-game winning streak.
After all, at 27-32 the Magic themselves are below the .500 mark. They’re 2-1 against the Bulls this season, having won 97-91 and 112-84 and losing 90-80.
“We have a losing record, so how would we possibly think about teams having losing records not being good? It’s just not the right approach,” Fournier said. “It’s all about timing. Like right now, yes, we have a losing record but I feel like we are playing better. So really you can’t look at that.
“These are NBA players and NBA teams, and on any given night they can kick your ass, really. So don’t look at the schedule at all.”
Beating Chicago for the third time this season won’t be easy.
Expect the Magic to again lean on their defense. It’s been the linchpin of their recent surge, with the team allowing an average of just 96 points during their past five games.
They’ll need another solid defensive effort against a Bulls team that has picked up its offense lately behind the addition of forward Otto Porter Jr.
The Bulls acquired Porter in a Feb. 6 trade with the Washington Wizards for Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis and a 2023 secondround draft pick. And Porter’s presence gives the Bulls three potent scorers alongside Zach LaVine (23.0 ppg) and emerging young forward Lauri Markkanen (18.5 ppg).
The 6-foot-8 Porter has been a new player since coming to Chicago. In his four games with the Bulls, he’s averaging 22.5 points and shooting 62 percent from the field. He’s also shooting 57.9 percent from 3-point range (11 of 19).
Porter averaged 12.6 points while shooting 45.7 percent overall and 36.9 percent on 3s in 41 games with the Wizards.
“I think he’s the kind of guy, [who’s] so skilled, [and] so smart that he can fit in real quickly,” Clifford said of the sixth-year forward out of Georgetown.
Porter’s big game came in a Feb. 13 win against the Grizzlies when he put up a season-high 37 points on 16 of 20 shooting.
He has scored at least 17 points in each of his four games with the Bulls. He scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in his Chicago debut as the Bulls rolled past the Nets 125-106.
“Just know where he is at all times, and make him work for his shots and it’s going to be a team effort,” Augustin said of how the Magic can slow Porter.
The Bulls started to click offensively even before Porter’s arrival. They have averaged 113.3 points a game in their past 10 games, and 118 a game their past five, shooting 49.4 percent from the field in that five-game stretch.
That’s a significant jump for a team that averaged 101 points through its first 30 games.
And even though the Bulls are just 3-7 over their past 10 games, six of those losses were by nine points or less.
Not that the Magic need any help focusing. They’re eager to get back into a rhythm and extend their five-game winning streak to six.
Being in the middle of the playoff chase will help.
“The break wasn’t the best timing for us because we were playing really well and with a lot of confidence,” Fournier said. “Those five days could be like a momentum breaker, but I don’t think we’re thinking like that at all. I think we’re all focused and we have the right attitude.
“We should just play the same way. Play with confidence.”