Magic Playoff Performance

Osceola, FL— The Osceola Magic took down the Indiana Mad Ants in their first playoff game 129-114 at Silver Spurs Arena this evening. 

Mac Leads the Magic

Mac McClung was nothing short of sensational, leading the Magic to victory, breaking a franchise playoff record with 39 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while shooting 12-of-21 from the floor and 6-of-12 from behind the arch. 

“Yeah just flow, I don’t try to force much, but I think just in a flow,” Mac said of his performance. “I really work extremely hard each year to get better. And that’s really all it’s about when you know you’re waiting on your turn and everything. Like I know who I am. I think a lot of people know who I am when it comes to getting my opportunity and everything like that.”

Eyes on the Prize

With a victory over the Birmingham Squadrons on Saturday evening, the Osceola Magic clinched the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and earned themselves a first-round bye.

I talked to Osceola coach Dylan Murphy on Saturday evening about the team’s mindset on securing the one seed and being in the playoffs. 

“I mean we got our eyes on the championship,” Murphy said. “We got unfinished business from last year — However you have to be ugly, you win pretty, defend, you score whatever it takes every night.”

Hot First Half

Osceola came out of the gates firing on all cylinders to begin this game as they put together a 47-point first quarter and it was a total team effort. Ethan Thompson scored 15 points, Mac McClung had 10 points, and Jarret Culver chipped in nine first-quarter points. 

The Magic wouldn’t slow down as they scored 33 points in the second quarter and the team was shooting lights out. Led by Ethan Thompson who put together a 24-point first half, the team shot 27-of-44 (61.4%) from the field and 13-of-22 (59.1%) from distance in the first half of play. Osceola would head into the halftime locker room with an 80-52 lead. 

“We just defended, I thought we were defending at a super high level,” Murphy said of the team’s first-half performance. “We protected the paint, we impacted shots, and we were able to rebound and run. We generally played fast, so that really helped us.”

Indiana Makes a Run

Leading by as much as 32 points in that first half of play, Indiana wouldn’t go down without a fight. The Mad Ants went on a run midway through the fourth quarter and cut the Magic lead to just 10 points with 6:37 left in the game.

Osceola didn’t allow them to get any closer as they proceeded to go on a 12-4 run and essentially close this game out.

“I thought that was a great example of our poise,” Murphy said. “We came down, executed our offense — Guys are gonna fight, you know, no game’s over. And we came down and executed and we were able to get the win.”

Final Numbers/Thoughts

Osceola had six players score in double-figures tonight from Mac McClung (39), Ethan Thompson (29), Javonte Smart (14), Jarrett Culver (12), Myron Gardner (14), and Jalen Slawson (12). The Magic shot a blistering 40-of-82 from the floor and 18-of-39 from distance. 

The Magic will now prepare to host  G-League MVP JD Davidson and the Maine Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night.