Magic turn to Birch to help fill in for Isaac
Orlando Magic shooting guard Evan Fournier moved to his left and took a flip pass from teammate Khem Birch. After following through on the pass, the Magic big man proceeded to screen Miami Heat guard Duncan Robinson as he tried to stay close to Fournier early in Friday's game at Amway Center.
Birch's screen slowed Robinson's pursuit and Fournier took advantage. After two dribbles moved him into an open spot, Fournier rose up and sank a 3-pointer from the left wing.
Later in the first half, Birch positioned himself for a side screen on Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. Magic shooting guard Terrence
Ross took a jab step and quickly came back off Birch's screen toward Nikola Vucevic, who delivered a perfect pass to the cutting Ross.
Jones tried to go behind the screen but was unable to get around Birch in time, and Ross, who doesn't need much space to get off a shot, had more than enough room as he drained a 3 from the right wing.
The 3 put the Magic ahead 52-40.
While Birch didn't score — in fact, he didn't even attempt a shot — during the 105-85 win against the Heat, he still made offensive contributions. Birch was credited with four screen assists and 12 screen assists points in just under 25 minutes of playing time. The 12 screen assists points were the fourth-most in the NBA that night.
It was Birch's 13th start of the season, but unlike the previous 12, it wasn't at his normal center spot. Birch took the place of the injured Jonathan Isaac at the power forward position.
Isaac was injured Wednesday in Washington and the Magic were off Thursday, leaving Birch just the Friday morning shootaround to begin learning the power forward spot.
Magic coach Steve Clifford made it a point to highlight Birch's efforts against the Heat.
“Khem Birch is just such a good player. The numbers may