With the Orlando Magic in danger of suffering an embarrassing loss, rookie Cole Anthony stepped up and single-handedly ensured his team would walk away with the win.
The performance resulted in Anthony scoring 12 of his 18 total points in the fourth quarter to lead the Magic to a 109-104 win, snapping a six-game losing streak. He converted on 4-of-5 shots in the final period as the Magic squandered a 23-point lead late in the game.
“He wants those moments. He wants to take the big shots,” said Magic acting head coach Ty Corbin. “He has the capability. He is not afraid of the moment and that is a great trait in this league. His maturation of learning when to take those shots or when to pass, he’ll get better at that but I thought he did a good job down the stretch of making shots when we really needed a basket.”
Orlando took its largest lead in the contest with 10:43 left to go in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers then went on a 41-18 run to tie the game up at 104 points apiece with 1:03 remaining following a 3-pointer by veteran Kevin Love.
From there, Anthony took full control of the game and gave his team the win.
With under a minute to go, Anthony patiently dribbled the ball near halfcourt to drain some time. He shook off a screen by Wendell Carter Jr. and immediately drove right, blowing past Darius Garland to convert a difficult shot over Jarrett Allen.
The Cavaliers turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and Anthony was then fouled by Garland. He converted both free throws to put the Magic up by four points with just 21 seconds left to seal the win.
“They call that crunch time, right?” Anthony said after the game. “The last five minutes of the fourth quarter: I want the ball. I’m going to go get it for the team.”
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๐ pic.twitter.com/aHkgdZIqX7— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) April 29, 2021
Already this season, Anthony hit a buzzer-beating game-winner on Jan. 20 to send the Magic to a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. While his performance on Wednesday wasn’t nearly as dramatic, the 15th overall pick feels even more confident than he did at that point.
The contest marked his 37th game of the season, and his 12th since returning from a rib injury that cost him nearly two months of action. He has scored in double figures in all but one of those games since returning, and is averaging 14 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds over that span.
Anthony described his comfort level as “uber-confident” following the win.
“It’s a complete difference from how I felt at the beginning of the season,” Anthony said. “I feel like a vet out there. After the injury, I feel like I’m in my second season. With this team, I might as well be a vet; we’re young! Someone has gotta lead us.”
The 20-year-old knows that 25 games were taken from him as a result of his injury, but he is looking to shake that off and finish the final 10 games of the season on a high note. After all, it’s the only mindset that he knows…
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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