Hoping win is one to grow on
Magic able to rally from 20-point deficit
With James Ennis playing the part of the confidence-inspiring teammate and Cole Anthony filling the role of the rookie playmaker, the Orlando Magic delivered a bit of theater on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
Now they hope to use the victory as a springboard.
The first act played out with about 40 seconds remaining.
Ennis caught a pass in the post from Aaron Gordon. When defenders Jordan McLaughlin and Naz Reid came to double-team, Ennis spotted Anthony set up near the wing in front of the Magic bench and fired off a pass.
Anthony caught the ball, rose up
and buried a 3-pointer that pulled the Magic within two points at 96-94 with 34.6 seconds left.
During a timeout, Ennis gave his young teammate a vote of confidence and the words struck a chord with Anthony.
“He was like, ‘I believe in you, bro. Keep doing that,’ ” Anthony said. “After that I was trying to get to that same spot to hit another one and it just worked out. It worked out.”
After Timberwolves forward Jarred Vanderbilt, a 47.8% free-throw shooter entering the game, missed the second of two freethrow attempts with 6.4 seconds left, the ball was tipped to Anthony and he quickly drove up the floor.
He pushed hard and pulled up in front of the Magic bench, where he knocked down the game-winner — about 6 feet from his previous 3-pointer — as time expired for a 97-96 triumph.
The shot capped a comeback that saw the Magic erase a 20-point secondhalf deficit and overcome a 10-point second quarter — one of the worst offensive quarters in franchise history.
“It’s been rough for us,” center Nikola Vucevic said. “Even tonight, we really fought to get this one.
“Just how everything went, the guys that throw everything into really celebrating. It’s great to see that happen. It’s great to see guys care.”
Anthony’s game-winning shot may turn out to be the jolt the Magic need, but they also got a boost from the return of starting shooting guard Evan Fournier.
He delivered 24 points in 28 minutes in his first game action since Dec. 31. Fournier had missed nine straight games because of low back spasms.
Clifford said the plan was to keep Fournier in the low 20-minute range, but the veteran guard said he’s pushing for more playing time as a way to get back into rhythm quicker.
He’ll get his next chance Friday, when Orlando (7-8) closes out a five-game road trip with a visit to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to face the Indianapolis Pacers. The game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Florida.
The Pacers (8-6) recently lost starting center Myles Turner, one of the NBA’s top defenders, to a broken hand. Turner, who leads the league in blocked shots (4.2 per game), has missed the past two games and remains day to day.
NBA alters game times
The NBA is changing the start times for select upcoming games to accommodate new gameday COVID-19 testing.
The changes will affect three Magic contests, starting with Sunday’s matchup at Amway Center against the Charlotte Hornets.
The game originally was supposed to tip off at 7 p.m., but it will now start at 8.
In addition, Orlando’s home game Jan. 29 against the Los Angeles Clippers will begin at 8 p.m. (instead of 7) and the Jan. 31 game in Tampa against the Toronto Raptors will start at 7 p.m. (instead of 6).