ORLANDO, Fla. — Chuma Okeke finished with a career-high 11 points, and hit some timely shots to help the Magic overcome a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors, 124-120.
Orlando built up a 17-point advantage in the third quarter on Friday, but the Warriors staged a furious comeback to not only tie the game, but build up a 13-point lead of their own in the final period.
Then Okeke strung together several impressive plays for the Magic.
The sequence first unfolded when Okeke blocked a shot attempt by Stephen Curry with just over four minutes left. Then, on the other end, Okeke hit a corner 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three points.
A few minutes later, Okeke hit another triple to give the Magic a two-point lead with 2:19 left in the period. From there, the Magic finished off the victory as Okeke scored eight points alone in the final quarter.
“I’m proud of the work he is putting in,” said Terrence Ross, who finished with 24 points off the bench. “He is a really good basketball player on both sides of the ball. He made a bunch of big shots tonight, especially (being) at the end of the rotation. He did a good job of knocking those shots down.
“Those are big shots and you need a lot of poise to hit those shots. He has done a great job with his work ethic and he deserves all of the stuff coming to him. He is getting better each day. We are going to need him to keep playing the way he is. Shout out to Chuma.”
๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ โ ๐๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ต@chuma_okeke | #MagicTogether pic.twitter.com/XdxzRUmlIg
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 20, 2021
With the Magic down several players, Okeke has been thrust into a larger role. The performance was just his second game in double figures, as he is often relied on for his defense.
On Friday, it was his offense that took center stage when it mattered most.
“I’m really happy for Chuma,” Magic head coach Steve Clifford said. “(He hit) two huge 3s in the last five minutes and a big, big blocked shot, which he recovered. He is just a basketball player. He is smart. He has natural instincts, a high IQ and we needed all of that.”
Outside of the locker room, Okeke is quiet and reserved, but to his teammates, he is energetic and always in a good mood. That’s why his performance on Friday meant that much more to them, and they were there to congratulate him after finishing the comeback win.
“(They were just) happy for me, excited for me hitting big shots and making big plays in a big-time moment,” Okeke said. “It meant a lot knowing they are happy for me. A happy team is a team that is always winning, even when we are losing, we always see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
After that victory, the Magic certainly will be a happy team this weekend…
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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