The Orlando Magic might feel like they have gone from the frying pan into the fire.
Orlando concluded a road back-to-back on Saturday with a 124-96 loss to a Memphis Grizzlies team that is just percentage points outside of the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference. Next up for the Magic on Tuesday is a home game against the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns.
The Magic play 12 of their final 17 regular-season games at home, beginning with the visit from the Suns, who are in position to sweep the season series against after earning a 132-105 victory over the Magic at Phoenix on Feb. 12.
The Suns are kicking off a back-to-back in Florida, with a game at East-leading Miami on Wednesday. It starts after they have been without their All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Paul is sidelined long-term with a right thumb fracture, while Booker missed his third consecutive game on Sunday while in COVID-19 protocol.
Phoenix has lost three of its past five games but remains 38 games over .500. The Suns fell to 23-6 on the road with Sunday’s 132-122 loss at Milwaukee as the Bucks’ Khris Middleton poured in a season-high 44 points.
Deandre Ayton scored a season-high 30 points on 14-of-19 shooting for the Suns, but the Bucks finished on a 30-15 run. Phoenix’s Cameron Payne added 23 points and eight assists, while Jae Crowder totaled 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the loss when Milwaukee attempted 29 free throws to Phoenix’s 11.
Cameron Johnson also missed the Milwaukee contest due to a right quad contusion. Johnson was locked in Friday when he hit a career-high nine 3-pointers and banked in a game-winning buzzer-beater against the New York Knicks. He scored a career-best 38 points.
“We had 33 assists in a tough game on the road, like, that’s who we are,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said postgame Sunday. “Who steps up or who’s got a uniform on, it does matter, but the style of play is always there and the grit and toughness is there and it was there tonight. We just couldn’t come up with enough plays down the stretch to win.”
Orlando, which has won three of its past five games, stayed even with Memphis during the first and third quarters Saturday. But a 37-16 scoring edge in the second period for the Grizzlies was too much to overcome as the Magic played without starters Wendell Carter Jr. (non-COVID illness) and Jalen Suggs (ankle).
“That second quarter, it got away from us,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “They started making shots and, again, we talked about it at halftime. They had 20 points in the paint (at halftime) versus the first time we played them, they had 68 points in the paint (for the game). So, we were talking about our ability to take away the paint, but obviously sometimes those game plans go a different way when guys are making shots.”
Carter, who has a team-high 28 double-doubles, was no longer on the injury report as of Monday. Suggs remains questionable for Tuesday’s game.
Orlando has won three of the past four games at home against the Suns. During the Feb. 12 meeting at Phoenix, the Suns registered 40 assists on 55 made field goals and outscored the Magic 68-36 in the paint.
— Field Level Media
