ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Magic did it again.
Down by 21 early in the third quarter, down by 15 entering the fourth and still down by 15 with six minutes remaining, the short-handed Orlando Magic closed the game on a 22-4 run to beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-101 on Sunday.
It was Orlando’s second win after trailing by at least 21 points in a span of just over a week after having only two such wins in the previous six seasons combined.
“We don’t quit,” Magic guard Cole Anthony said.
Anthony’s layup with 1.3 seconds left was the winner for the Magic, who are playing without Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner. Orlando lost point guard Jalen Suggs in the first half to a sprained wrist.
No problem.
“It speaks so much to the resiliency of our guys, the grit of our guys, the preparation of the coaching staff keeping guys that have not played ready to go, knowing that they can light a spark at any moment,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That’s what you saw tonight.”
It was the sixth time in the NBA this season that a team has won after trailing by at least 21 points — and Orlando has two of those victories. The Magic trailed by as many as 25 points against Miami on Dec. 21, and were still down 22 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the Heat 37-8 in the final frame to beat them 121-114.
How Orlando has stayed firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff mix without Banchero and the Wagner brothers is one of the feel-good stories of the first half of the NBA season. The Magic are now 20-14 and fourth in the East despite missing Banchero for 29 of those 34 games. Banchero is nearing a return from a torn oblique; Franz Wagner has the same injury and is expected to miss a few more weeks and Moritz Wagner is out for the season with a torn ACL.
But the Magic keep winning, thanks largely to defense. Brooklyn went 0 for 8 from the field in the final 7:14, while Orlando shot 8 for 14 in that span.
“It says that we are enough, and we have enough, no matter who is on the floor,” Mosley said. “We know how we’re going to defend. We know how we’re going to communicate. We know how we’re going to keep fighting. So, when you step on the floor and you play for the Orlando Magic, this is how you’re going to play.”
Anthony’s winner was on a bit of a broken play. Mosley drew up something for Tristan da Silva, who led the Magic with 21 points. But it was Anthony getting to the rim for the deciding basket.
“I ain’t gonna lie,” Anthony said. “The play was for Tristan.”
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