Orlando has done it again this season, as they’ve just produced another spectacular comeback this weekend while being down by 21 points in the third quarter. With six minutes left to the final buzzer, the Magic still had a 15-point deficit to beat, and finally closed the match on a 22-4 run to defeat the Nets 102-101 on Sunday.
Not only was this the franchise’s second victory after trailing by at least 21 points in a span of a week, but now they’ve also proved they have championship-winning mentally despite having most of their star players injured.
According to Cole Anthony, who dropped in his squad’s last-winning points of the evening, the team energy in their locker room is simply unmatched. “We don’t quit,” the Magic guard said after the matchup.
COLE ANTHONY GAME WINNER 🚨
MAGIC CLOSE ON A 22-4 RUN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FTJlmVCLJc
— NBA (@NBA) December 29, 2024
With 1.3 seconds left, Anthony’s layup buried Brooklyn’s desires of winning the game. Not only are they playing without Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner, but they also lost point guard Jalen Suggs in the first half to a sprained wrist.
“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,” team coach Jamahl Mosley said postgame. “That’s what you saw tonight.”
Despite having an injury-plagued roster, Orlando just keep winning. However, most of the credit should go to their defense, as the Nets went 0-for-8 from the field in the final 7:14, while the Florida club shot 8-for-14 in that same time span.
“It says that we are enough, and we have enough, no matter who is on the floor,” Mosley added. “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.”
Cole’s winning bucket came on a difficult play, as they Magic coach had initially drawn up a play for Tristan da Silva, who led the squad offensively with 21 points to his name. However, Anthony decided to take the responsibility on his own. “I ain’t gonna lie,” he confessed. “The play was for Tristan.”
