Red-hot Nets lose to slumping Magic
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) shoots against Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic, left, and forward Khem Birch, center, during the second half on Friday, March 19, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. Credit: AP/John Raoux
The Nets went into Friday night’s game at Amway Center in Orlando as the hottest team in the NBA with 14 wins in their previous 15 games and a franchise-record eight-game road winning streak. They figured to have an easy time of it with the Magic, who were the NBA’s coldest team with nine straight losses. But it was a case of role reversal as the Nets went ice cold down the stretch in a 119-113 loss.
Trailing by 19, the Nets opened the final quarter with a 16-1 run, ending with a baseline jumper by Kyrie Irving to trim their deficit to 104-100 with 7:31 left. Suddenly the Nets’ defense kicked in as they forced the Magic to shoot 0-for-6 in that stretch with two turnovers. The Magic didn’t make their first field goal of the final period until 5:37 remained.
But after pulling within four points, the Nets made just four of their final 16 shots and committed a pair of turnovers as the Magic regained control of the game down the stretch.
Irving led the Nets (28-14) with 43 points. James Harden added 19 but had a 4-for-16 shooting night, and the Nets made just 10 of 37 three-pointers (27.0%).
Aaron Gordon powered the Magic (14-27) with 38 points, shooting 7-for-8 from three-point range. Evan Fournier scored 31, shooting 6-for-8 from beyond the arc as the Magic hit 21 of 40 three-pointers (52.5%). Nikola Vucevic totaled 22 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.
"We gave ourselves a chance when we cut it back down to [four] late," Nets coach Steve Nash said. "We had a lot of good opportunities, a lot of wide-open shots that didn’t fall. Having said that, I’m proud of the way they fought back, weathered an incredible shooting night by the Magic, and I think our shots just didn’t fall when they counted . . . That was, in many ways, the story of the game. It was just one of those nights."
After allowing a series of opponents to score at least 120 points earlier in the season when they were struggling, the Net held 11 straight opponents below the 120 mark before facing the Magic, who came in with one of the NBA’s most inefficient offenses. The Nets showed particular toughness in their three previous hard-fought wins, prompting Nash to laud the improved defense.
"I think guys have really taken to heart what it takes to improve defensively, and we’re improving," he said before facing the Magic.
Given how the first half went, that comment by Nash came off sounding like famous last words. The Magic shot 51.1% in the first half, including a phenomenal 13-for-22 performance from three-point range (59.1%) as Gordon, Fournier and Chasson Randle each hit four of the five shots they launched from deep as the Magic took a 64-62 lead.
When Irving opened the third period with a three, the Nets led by a point, but it was short-lived. An 18-7 Magic run later in the quarter pushed their lead to 95-78 as Vucevic scored the final 10 Magic points in that span. Back-to-back threes at the end of the period by Gordon and Dwayne Bacon pushed the Magic’s lead to 19 points at 103-84 as the Magic shot 14-for-21 from the field in the third period.
Describing the Nets’ fourth-quarter rally within four points, Landry Shamet said, "We were telling each other, ‘Hey, we’re in this game. If we put a couple stops together and make a few shots on the other end, we can make a run at it.
"And we did, and then we went cold again. We couldn’t buy a bucket. That’s part of it. But we were right there in the game. We were telling each other that. There was no loss of our fight."
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
