Magic seek strong start
Orlando coach Steve Clifford says first 12 minutes of Game 4 are critical to securing a win.
Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford knows his team must do a number of things well to win Game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The first 12 minutes are at the top of the list.
“As much as anything, we need to win the first quarter tomorrow,” Clifford said.
The Magic will get that chance Monday when they face the Bucks at 1:30 p.m. at ESPN Wide World of Sports’ HP Field House. Milwaukee leads 2-1 in the best-of-seven first-round series. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Florida and NBA TV.
Since outscoring the Bucks 33-23 in the first quarter of Game 1, the Magic have been outscored by 20 points (25-13, 31-23) the past two first quarters.
Those early deficits, the Magic believe, contributed heavily to their lopsided losses in Games 2 and 3.
“We’ve got to win the first quarter tomorrow,” Clifford said. “We can’t play against a team as good as they are always from behind. It puts so much pressure on you.”
Point guard Markelle Fultz said the Magic need to lock in from the start. There’s no room for error against a team like the Bucks, who’ve ramped up the intensity the past two games.
“We’ve got to win the first quarter. I think that’s a big thing for us,” Fultz said.
Any success in the opening quarter — and subsequent ones — must start with cutting down on mistakes. Early turnovers in Game 3 helped the Bucks get going but more importantly took chances away from the Magic.
“The turnovers are crushing,” Clifford said. “We’ve got to get shots.”
Clifford has been pleased with the Magic’s pick-and-roll activity and the post-ups Nikola Vucevic has been able to get. Clifford also said his team has created 3-point opportunities but hasn’t converted enough of them. In the past two first quarters, the Magic were 1-for-11 and 2-for-8 from the 3-point line, and they know that won’t get it done.
Orlando also has struggled to handle the increased ball pressure from Milwaukee, with point guard Eric Bledsoe leading that charge.
“We’re going to have to be able to play with more force, cut harder, screen better, [and] make quicker decisions — that’s what we did the first game — and that will give us a chance,” Clifford said after Game 3.
Clifford said the Magic must continue to look for seams in the Bucks’ defense because getting in the paint creates better shot opportunities. The problem has been finding those routes or executing when they do.
Fultz said the Bucks’ ability to close off passing and driving lanes
with their collapsing help defense puts a premium on decision-making. He said the Magic are capable of carving out points but players can’t afford to give up on plays.
“They’re just very talented. They’re long and athletic,” he said. “That’s one of the things that film helps you with. Just seeing the tendencies of when you drive, and again, emphasizing to my teammates to keep the right spacing so we can be able to make those passes. It’s something that they’re very good at. We’ve got players who can make those plays. You’ve just got to be ready and locked into it.”
The Magic also took a lot of positives away from Sunday’s film work. Forward Gary Clark said it’s reassuring to see that if the team can clean up some of its first-quarter problems it will put them in a better position later in the game.
“I think it’s one of those things where as a unit we’re really still confident that we can turn this thing round,” he said.
Getting minutes from power forward Aaron Gordon could help but his availability remains a question. Clifford said Gordon continues to make progress but his status for Monday’s game seems in doubt. Gordon hasn’t played since sustaining a left hamstring strain Aug. 5 in a seeding game against the Raptors.
“They’re going to try to do more today,” Clifford said. “Again, it’ll be the same thing. He’ll work out today. He did a lot yesterday and he felt better, and then we’ll see how he feels when he gets up tomorrow morning.”
Michael Carter-Williams, meanwhile, may be done for the playoffs. The Magic have listed him as out for Monday’s game as he continues to recover from a tendon strain in his left foot. Carter-Williams, who generally gives the Magic energy and defense when he comes in on off the bench, hasn’t played since Aug. 4 — a span of games that has now reached eight.
The league announced Sunday that Magic forward James Ennis and Bucks forward Marvin Williams each was fined $15,000 for their role in a second-quarter altercation in Game 3.
The two exchanged shoves before officials, teammates and assistant coaches separated the two. Both were assessed technical fouls and ejected.