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By John DentonOct. 18, 2014
ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Playing without four likely starters – Tobias Harris, Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo and Channing Frye – and two top veteran reserves – Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour – also out, the Orlando Magic were extremely shorthanded in an easily forgettable 95-84 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
After defeating Detroit a night earlier in Orlando, not arriving in their Philadelphia hotel until after 1 a.m. Saturday morning and bussing the 63 miles to Allentown, the Magic held out Harris, Vucevic, Gordon and Ridnour for rest. Oladipo and Frye, who have yet to play this preseason because of sprained medial collateral ligaments in their knees, made the trip and got in vigorous pool and court workouts at the newly constructed PPL Center.
Despite Saturday’s result, Magic coach Jacque Vaughn has been extremely pleased with how his team has approached playing hard and getting better throughout the preseason. Orlando entered Saturday’s game playing at the faster pace that Vaughn wants, while also suffocating foes defensively – a formula that led to four victories in the first five preseason games.
``At the end of the day it’s still competition and at the root of why you play this game – to compare your skills against the guy that you are matched up against that night,’’ Vaughn said. ``It is about establishing habits. I’m asking them to play a certain way offensively and defensively and does that correspond to competing on a nightly basis whether it’s preseason or regular season? Yes, it does.’’
Playing before a half-full PPL Center crowd, Orlando (4-2) fell into a 25-point hole in the first half because of an ugly 20-7 finish to the first period and a 25-15 second quarter. Power forward Andrew Nicholson was a bright spot for the Magic, scoring 14 of his 23 points in the first half. Reserve power forward Kyle O’Quinn chipped in 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Maurice Harkless got the start at small forward and scored 14 points. Dewayne Dedmon, who has secured his spot as Vucevic’s primary backup at center, played a solid all-around game with 10 points, 14 rebounds (eight offensive) and three blocked shots.
``Like I’ve been saying, I’m just trying to do better than I did last year as far as rebounding, playing on the defensive end and running the floor,’’ said Dedmon, who spent the final three months of last season with the Magic following a stint in the NBA Developmental League. ``Those are major parts of my game and I’m trying to improve every day.’’
Orlando held the Sixers (2-4) to just 15 points in the third quarter and clawed back to within 89-81 late in the fourth quarter on a bank shot by rookie forward Devyn Marble. Philadelphia was also without reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams (shoulder surgery) and center Nerlens Noel (upper respitory infection).
The Magic will host an open practice for fans Monday at the Amway Center at 6:30 p.m. The event is free, but fans must download tickets at OrlandoMagic.com. Orlando will close the exhibition season with home games on Wednesday (against the Houston Rockets and Dwight Howard) and on Friday (against the Dallas Mavericks and Jameer Nelson).
``Hopefully our guys can get whole a little bit as far as them getting healthy,’’ Vaughn said. ``Also, we need to get a little rest in us. I tested some guys with some added minutes the past few days to see how their bodies responded. And we still have a lot of teaching and learning to do.’’
Harris and Vucevic, both fourth-year NBA players, have been Orlando’s most consistent producers this preseason and they got some much-needed rest on Saturday. Harris, who has averaged 16.2 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 57.4 percent, has a sore chest from a hard fall last Wednesday against Brazil’s Flamengo. Vucevic, who has averaged 15.2 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 54 percent, has been nursing a swollen finger on his right hand the past week.
Gordon and Ridnour, who are 31 and 33 years old respectively, have played well off the bench so far and have allowed the Magic to continue to play up-tempo basketball even when the starters are out of games. Gordon has averaged 10 points a game this preseason and head coach Jacque Vaughn has lauded him for his defense and willingness to box out bigger foes. Ridnour has averaged 5.8 points and 3.8 assists while serving as a mentor for young guards Elfrid Payton and Oladipo.
Speaking of Oladipo (and Frye), Vaughn said the Magic hope to get both of them back on the floor and in game action before the Oct. 28 regular-season opener so that they can bond more with their new teammates. Frye is one of eight new players on Orlando’s roster.
``The only thing that we would love for those guys to get is the understanding of where their teammates are going to be,’’ Vaughn said of Oladipo and Frye. ``When our point guard comes across, where does Channing like the basketball? Is he a bounce-pass guy or does he like it on the strings? Little things like that you can only get from playing. Those are the things that we’ll have to play catch-up on.’’
Vaughn did want rookies Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton to play because it was their first-ever back-to-back set of games at the professional level. Unlike when they played games on consecutive days at the AAU, high school and collegiate levels, Payton and Gordon had to deal with the travel elements of this first professional back-to-back. It was good experience for the rookies as the Magic will play 17 back-to-back sets of games during the regular season. Payton finished with seven assists and a free throw in 21 minutes, while Gordon did not score in 5 minutes.
``I’ll give them a little taste,’’ Vaughn said before the game about playing Payton and Gordon sparingly in the back-to-back. ``I’ll still be smart and judicious with the minutes, but I do want to give Elfrid and Aaron a taste of what it feels like to have their bodies ready in a back-to-back.’’
Saturday’s game was also memorable for Gordon because it allowed him to be on a NBA court (albeit briefly in the first half) across from older brother, Drew Gordon, for the first time. Drew, who has played professionally in Turkey, Italy and Serbia the last two years, scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes and is hoping to make the Sixers roster. Drew and Aaron grew up in San Jose, Calif., dreaming of someday being in the NBA together.
``I’m really proud of (Drew) because he’s going through a lot of trials in his life and to see him out there with a NBA jersey on, it means a lot to me,’’ Aaron Gordon said. ``And to be out there, talk a little bit of mess with him, it’s just really cool. I know that a lot of people aren’t able to say that they played in the NBA against their brother and now I’m able to say that.’’
Playing in a starting lineup that needed scoring, Nicholson was active and aggressively seeking out shots early in the game. He made five of his first eight shots in the game’s first 12 minutes by mixing jump shots with crafty low-post moves. By halftime, he had 14 points, four rebounds and two steals to keep the Magic within striking distance.
``He’s understanding that he can have a good mix (of inside and outside shots) throughout the game and those opportunities will present themselves,’’ Vaughn said of Nicholson, who is averaging 10.5 points on 50 percent shooting this preseason. ``He doesn’t have to be locked in to being (solely) perimeter or post. He’s been able to see how both can coincide with one another.’’