Magic crush Bucks, 114-90

By Josh Robbins
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Updated: November 27, 2015

Since the Orlando Magic traded Dwight Howard in August 2012 and the franchise launched its ongoing rebuilding effort, the team has enjoyed only a few stretches of even modest on-court success.

The first half of December 2012 generated hope. The Magic won seven of 10 games, including a road victory over Howard’s Los Angeles Lakers and a win one night later over the Golden State Warriors.

During the 2013-14 season, the Magic won back-to-back-to-back games on two occasions.

And early last season, Orlando won three of five games on a West Coast road trip.

None of that success lasted.

This stretch, however, might be the most sastifying, most sustainable stretch of all. Buoyed by a dominant third quarter, the Magic crushed the Milwaukee Bucks 114-90 Friday night to clinch their first winning month since March 2012.

“It was beautiful,” forward Tobias Harris said.

Yes, it was.

By any team’s standards, not just a rebuilding team’s.

Harris scored seven of his 19 points in the third quarter — Orlando’s best offensive quarter of the season. The Magic made 13 of their 16 shots in the period, including all six of their attempts from beyond the arc.

“It always looks better when the 3 is going in,” coach Scott Skiles said.

The Magic received a bunch of solid performances.

In addition to Harris’ efficient night, the Magic received 22 points and 10 assists from point guard Elfrid Payton and 17 points from shooting guard Evan Fournier.

Shooting guard Victor Oladipo, who came off the bench for a second consecutive game, played energetically and finished with 17 points, six rebounds and nine assists.

Payton recorded his 10th assist midway through the fourth quarter, when he sprinted upcourt on a fastbreak and lobbed the ball to Oladipo for an emphatic dunk.

With Friday’s win, the Magic improved their record this month to 8-6. Since only one game remains before December, they’re going to finish November with a winning record.

“It’s very encouraging,” Fournier said. “But, you know, we can’t just be satisfied. We have to keep going, keep playing that way. The work starts to pay off, but we’ve got to keep building.”

The Magic (8-8) would have a winning overall record if they beat the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Orlando hasn’t had a winning record after at least 17 games of a season since they ended the 2011-12 campaign with a 37-29 record.

The Bucks (6-10) have struggled on defense this season, but they can be a tough matchup because of their height, long arms and athleticism.

With 6-foot-6 point guard Michael Carter-Williams, 6-foot-8 swingman ÖKhris Middleton, 6-foot-11 forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and 6-foot-11 big man John Henson, Milwaukee can disrupt passes more easily than most teams. On defense, the Bucks also can switch on pick-and-rolls, especially when center Greg Monroe is out of the game.

“We just have to play defense,” Henson said. “If we don’t fix it, it is going to be a long season.”

The Magic committed 19 turnovers on Friday, but they also finished the night shooting 52 percent from the field.

Orlando led 49-43 at halftime and then opened the third quarter with an 11-5 run.

Payton sank a 3-pointer on the Magic’s opening possession, and Harris added another trey after a teammate batted a 50-50 ball out to the perimeter following a missed Magic shot.

Harris notched his second assist of the game a few seconds later, when he passed the ball to Channing Frye near the Bucks’ bench and Frye drained a 3-pointer. Frye’s long jumper extended Orlando’s lead to 60-48 and gave Orlando its largest lead of the game to that point.

The Magic hadn’t won a game by over 20 points since they beat the Brooklyn Nets 107-86 on Nov. 3, 2013.

“It’s great,” center Nik Vucevic said. “It’s a much better place when you win.”