Orlando, FL – A loud and energetic environment at the Amway Center was on full display as the Orlando Magic took down the reigning and defending NBA champions in the Denver Nuggets tonight 124-119.
Orlando, who was coming off an impressive win over the Raptors the night before, came out of the gates a little sluggish in the first period. Two Reggie Jackson threes and a few easy baskets at the rim for Nikola Jokic got the Nuggets going offensively. Franz Wagner who struggled for the majority of the first half had an incredible end around on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that led to a strong finish at the rim over Michael Porter Jr for his lone three points of the half.
The Magic got phenomenal contributions from their second unit all evening, but Joe Ingles was the unsung hero of that first half. Ingles was in total control during that first period as he scored seven points, had four assists, and one rebound. Cole Anthony helped Orlando close out the first half on a strong note as he hit a three from the left wing and had a baseline dunk the following possession in the closing minutes of the half. Orlando trailed the Nuggets at halftime 62-56.
Franz Wagner took over for the Magic in that second half and was the catalyst for the Magic’s comeback victory. Franz would go on to score 24 second-half points including two clutch buckets down the stretch. At the beginning of the fourth, a three from Joe Ingles followed by hustle play that led to a Gary Harris three on the right wing had the home crowd ignited.
In the last five minutes of the contest, you saw clutch buckets and a total collective effort from this entire Magic team. Cole Anthony hit a mid-range jumper over Jokic, a layup over Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and he proceeded to hit another jumper to tie the game at 108 with 4:45 remaining in the game. Franz and Paolo both responded with two jumpers of their own before Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a three and Aaron Gordon got a layup to get Denver up 113-112.
Coming out of the timeout Franz Wagner got a layup over Michael Porter Jr and Paolo Banchero hit a three to extend Orlando’s lead to 118-115. Nikola Jokic responded with a layup to cut the lead and both Jalen Suggs and Goga Bitadze knocked down clutch free throws to seal the win for the Magic.
I asked Head Coach of the Orlando Magic Jamahl Mosley after the win about the impact of Joe Ingles and he stated, “He brings that poise, he brings that maturity, he settles things down, he’s willing to make the physical play, he makes the right pass, and he’s coaching on the floor. I think it’s so great to have him that he settles so many things down for us while we’re out there, and he allows that second unit to be themselves and to thrive in the way that they’re.”
Orlando played their sixth game in nine nights and it came in thrilling fashion with a statement victory over the Denver Nuggets. The Magic have now won five consecutive games and are now sitting with a record of 10-5, their best mark to begin a season since 2011. Orlando will be playing host to the Boston Celtics for another in-season tournament matchup at the Amway Center on Friday afternoon.
