The Orlando Magic were seeking revenge tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers after losing at home by 22 points just over a week ago. Sadly for the Magic, history repeated itself. The Blazers won by 29 in front of the crowd at Moda Center. The theme in both games was defense. The Magic entered tonight as one of the top defensive teams in the NBA, but the Blazers put the clamps down and forced Orlando to miss a lot of shots.
With Jerami Grant still injured, Scoot Henderson got the start. He put together yet another complete game, capping off the best month of his young career. The Magic tried to use a 2-3 and 2-1-2 zone to slow down Portland and force them to hit the long ball. The Blazers connected on 12-25 from range, good for 48%.
Coach Chauncey Billups stuck with an eight (and a half) man rotation, which has proven successful over this winning stretch for the team. If there are signs of waving a white flag or focusing on “development,” no one has seen it.
Let’s enjoy a big win by the Blazers and dive into five points of analysis.
Tonight’s MVP
Dominayton has become more of a joke than a real nickname for Deandre Ayton, but tonight he earned it. The Magic are a physical team, motivated to steamroll the Blazers after being embarrassed a week ago. Orlando started the game on an 8-0 run to force a timeout by Portland. After that, the game plan was simple: get DA the ball on the high post.
Ayton feasted, connecting on multiple midrange jump shots and put-backs at the rim. Ayton played defense too, looking frustrated at himself whenever the Magic would get an easy two at the rim. That is the kind of player the Blazers thought they were getting when they made the trade for the former #1 overall pick. Ayton collected 8 rebounds and 3 steals in 35 minutes of play. He was basically the lone center for the team as Donovan Clingan got in foul trouble. Ayton’s hyper-focused game was a big reason Portland blew out the Magic.
Defense Wins
The Blazers scored 119 points against the defensive minded Magic, but holding them to only 90 points in return impressed me the most. Orlando is not an offensive juggernaut, but after scoring only 79 points in the previous game, they were motivated. The Blazers were able to switch on almost everything. Communication and pointing out adjustments made a huge difference.
Tracking Paolo Banchero, the Magic’s best player, is key whenever you play Orlando. The Blazers did a great job. Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Jabari Walker all took turns on Banchero and held their own, but again it was the communication and weak side defense that won the game. The Blazers swarmed Orlando in the paint and forced them to take outside shots. The Magic shot 19% from the beyond the arc, and most of those shots weren’t even close. If the Blazers defense can bend and not break, they are a tough team to beat.
Scoot Henderson
Scoot Henderson got the start in place of Jerami Grant. He let the game come to him. He didn’t start off fast, but a measured opening allowed him to evaluate the flow of the game and pick his spots. He focused on finding Ayton on the block, Shaedon Sharpe in the corner, and Avdija in transition.
In the first half, Scoot was able to make his teammates better by getting them in their sweet spots. In the second half he decided it was time to put points up. Scoring efficiency has been Scoot’s biggest improvement this season, but his court vision is unique, especially for a 20-year-old.
Scoot’s ability to finish at the rim tonight jumped out to me because the Magic make it tough in the paint. I am convinced Jonathan Issac can block any shot, but Scoot was able to navigate it well. There was a play at the 8:26 mark in the third quarter where Scoot got switched onto the Magic big and instantly drove it to the hoop, finishing off the glass. When the Magic had to start respecting the drive, his three-ball started to fall. Henderson finished 3-5 from deep and every one of those looked good.
Starting or coming off the bench, Scoot is responding in a positive way.
He’s Everywhere
Toumani Camara plays at a level higher than anyone else on the court. The Magic looked like they were playing in mud whenever Camara was involved in a play. Camara guarded every position, even putting together a highlight reel of blocks against Banchero late in the second quarter. The Blazers were taking the lead at the 1:39 mark when Camara went Theo Ratliff and two-hand blocked Banchero at the rim. Moments later he blocked him again. Okay, that second one may have been called as a foul, but it was back-to-back blocks in my stat book.
The Rotations
Billups and his staff hit all the right buttons tonight. The Magic are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference standings, a dangerous squad. A month ago, the Blazers would have lost this game by 20 points. In the past few weeks, the coaching staff has found rotations that work well. The starting lineup of Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Avdija, Camara, and Ayton provides balance that most teams in the NBA don’t have. And the secret sauce might be Shaedon Sharpe coming off the bench.
Sharpe has responded well since becoming a reserve. He is finishing games and making a big impact. He finished with 23 points on 9-14 shooting. He connected on a pair of threes in the fourth quarter that only he could have hit.
Also coming off the bench, Jabari Walker was a perfect counter to Banchero and Franz Wagner. Being able to deploy him in 18 minutes of play was crucial to the big win.
Billups has been heavily criticized this season, but if the goal is to win games, he continues to pull that rabbit out of his hat.
Up Next
The Blazers welcome Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns Saturday night with a 7:00 PM, Pacific start.
