Tag: cole anthony

‘He wants those moments’: Cole Anthony seals win for Magic behind clutch play

Anthony scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday to lead the Magic to victory over the Cavaliers.

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.”

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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‘He wants those moments’: Cole Anthony seals win for Magic behind clutch play

Anthony scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday to lead the Magic to victory over the Cavaliers.

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.”

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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‘He is very locked in’: Cole Anthony impresses in return to starting lineup

Anthony returned to the starting lineup on Friday, and turned in one of his finest performances of the season.

With Michael Carter-Williams out due to an ankle injury, Orlando Magic rookie Cole Anthony earned the start on Friday and turned in one of his finest performances of the season.

Anthony finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists during a 113-102 loss to the Toronto Raptors. He converted on 6-of-12 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, in 29 minutes of work. His 19 points were two shy of tying a career-high this season.

“I thought he did a good job,” Magic head coach Steve Clifford said. “He had stretches where we were down 10-12 (points) and we just went to pick-and-rolls for him. We were getting good shots quickly. It gave us a chance to get back into the game but we just couldn’t get any stops. I think he’s very locked in and I thought he did a lot of good things.”

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The performance by Anthony was just his sixth game back since missing over a month with a rib injury. In each game, Anthony looks to be returning to the level he was playing at prior to the injury as he continues to get more comfortable on the court.

Anthony started in 17 games prior to Friday once Markelle Fultz went down with a knee injury. Though just a rookie, Anthony has shown flashes of being a strong floor general with the Magic, and his teammates have noticed.

“He is just making the right plays, hitting shots,” Chuma Okeke said. “He just be having fun out there, for real. Cole brings a lot of energy to the team and he is a real cool dude to be around off the court and on the court. He just be out there having fun and getting everybody involved and making good plays.”

With Carter-Williams expected to miss some time, Anthony will likely remain in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future and that could mean more performances like Friday night are in store for the 15th overall pick.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Cole Anthony earns strong review from Steve Clifford in win vs. Bulls

Anthony turned in his best performance since returning from a rib injury to help the Magic defeat the Bulls.

Orlando Magic rookie Cole Anthony on Wednesday appeared in his fifth game back from a rib injury and his performance was deemed by head coach Steve Clifford as his best since returning to the court.

Of course, Anthony missed 25 games after suffering a non-displaced fracture of the right first rib on Feb. 9. He returned on April 7 versus the Washington Wizards and entered Wednesday night averaging 11.3 points and five rebounds over that span.

On Wednesday, Anthony produced 10 points, five assists and three rebounds off the bench in a 115-106 win over the Chicago Bulls on the road. He finished the contest by converting on 5-of-7 shots from the field in 21 minutes of action.

While, statistically, it wasn’t his best game, Clifford liked what he saw.

“Tonight was by far his best game,” Clifford said. “We have to remember he is a rookie and he didn’t get Summer League or September workouts. If you go back before he took the injury, he had been playing better and better. He didn’t miss a week, he missed a long time. It’s going to take him a little bit to get back to the level he was playing at before but tonight was a good first step toward that.”

Anthony looked to be in better control on Wednesday in the victory. His finishing around the rim looked to be noticeably better after struggling in that area since returning from his injury. On one possession in the fourth quarter, Anthony finished a tough, off-balance shot.

While the performance by Anthony was hardly the headline of the contest, with the Magic and Bulls facing each other for the first time since the trade involving Wendell Carter Jr. and Nikola Vucevic, his effort was needed in order to lock down the win and snap a six-game losing streak.

Anthony had been playing some of his best basketball of the season prior to the injury but, as Clifford mentioned, it appears as though he is beginning to settle in and return to that level on the court.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Cole Anthony finally heard back from Hubert Davis at North Carolina

After several failed attempts of reaching out, Davis finally delivered a hilarious message to Anthony.

After several attempts trying to reach Roy Williams and Hubert Davis at North Carolina, Cole Anthony finally heard back from the future head coach of the Tar Heels.

Of course, Williams announced on April 1 that his Hall of Fame career would come to an end after retiring from the program. Williams finished third all-time in victories by a Division I head coach with 903 in 33 years between North Carolina and Kansas.

On Monday, the program announced Hubert Davis would succeed Williams as head coach. Davis played four years with the Tar Heels from 1988-1992 and spent the last nine seasons as an assistant coach under Williams.

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Following the recent moves, Anthony attempted, unsuccessfully, to talk to his two former coaches.

Earlier this week, before he returned to play with the Orlando Magic after missing 25 games with a rib injury, he hilariously sought some help getting in contact with them.

“I still have not been able to get in contact with coach Hubert Davis or coach Roy Williams,” Anthony said on Wednesday. “So, if y’all want to give them a shout out for me or something, that’d be much appreciated. I’m still trying to reach their lines.”

Well, the freeze out appears to be over for Anthony.

The 15th overall pick appeared on “The TROSS” podcast with host Stephen Madison and teammates Terrence Ross and Michael Carter-Williams and broke the news he heard back from Davis.

“Literally, Hubert Davis just DM’d me on Instagram,” Anthony said. “He said, ‘So happy you’re back playing. I heard you’ve been killing me on social. You’re my guy. Coming to see you play soon.'”

The message from Davis came mere seconds after Anthony told the guys that he still hadn’t heard back from his former coach.

While Anthony has yet to talk to Williams, the former Tar Heels guard recently said he was a bit heartbroken to see him walk away. Anthony called Williams his favorite coach he has ever played for but was happy for him that he now gets to spend time with his family.

Now that he heard back from Davis, all appears to be well for Anthony.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Rookie of the Year Race: Can LaMelo Ball win after injury?

Despite preseason expectations, basketball fans have seen surprisingly good campaigns from several rookies around the league in 2020-21.

Despite middling preseason expectations, basketball fans have seen some surprisingly good campaigns from several rookies around the league in 2020-21.

Even the most casual observer will knowΒ LaMelo BallΒ has had an excellent year. But there are many others who have played very well while on the floor as well. As such, this will be an exciting race for the 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Like ourΒ weekly MVP rankings, every member of our team voted on their personal Top 10 rankings for Rookie of the Year. We averaged out the results to get a cumulative ranking from the HoopsHype staff.

Every month, we will release our updated rankings for the Rookie of the Year race.

All relevant statistics are accurate as of April 8, 2021 and are pulled from Basketball-Reference, RealGM or NBA.com unless noted otherwise.

Cole Anthony wants to work with Russell Westbrook over the offseason

Westbrook offered Anthony some words of advice following the contest as the Magic rookie returned to the lineup on Wednesday.

Orlando Magic rookie Cole Anthony returned to the lineup on Wednesday after missing the past 25 games with a rib injury, and drew quite an assignment on the court: Guarding Russell Westbrook.

Anthony produced 13 points, seven assists and one rebound in 25 minutes of work during the 131-116 loss to the Washington Wizards. He finished the contest by shooting 5-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

The 15th overall pick checked into the game in the first quarter, and immediately went to work. He scored seven points within a two-minute span and even whipped out a flashy crossover that had Wizards guard Garrison Mathews dancing.

Throughout his 25 minutes on the court, Anthony was matched up on Westbrook periodically and saw firsthand how tough it is to guard him. Westbrook made it look easy after finishing with 23 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds to lead the Wizards to the win.

“That dude is an animal,” Anthony said of Westbrook. “Anybody who tries to disrespect him needs to watch basketball, watch him play. That dude is an animal. He competes on both ends of the floor and is just really, really good.”

Afterward, Anthony had the opportunity to catch up with Westbrook. Anthony first met Westbrook in high school and has kept in contact with him over the years. The two players shared a short conversation as the former MVP offered some words of advice for the rookie.

He was just telling me: ‘Be you, be aggressive and allow that to create for your teammates.’ I told him, ‘Yo, this summer I want to try to work with you.’ I want to work with all of the elite talent I can, someone who has been through the whole path and still doing everything what I want to do. I got nothing but respect for him but shout out to Westbrook.

The opportunity to play Westbrook figures to go a long way in helping Anthony develop. Of course, getting into the gym with him over the offseason probably won’t hurt his development, either…

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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‘I’m 100 percent playing’: Cole Anthony will return on Wednesday

Magic rookie Cole Anthony confirmed that he will return to play on Wednesday versus the Wizards.

Orlando Magic rookie Cole Anthony confirmed that he will return to play on Wednesday versus the Washington Wizards after missing the past 25 games due to a rib injury.

Magic head coach Steve Clifford said on Tuesday Anthony practiced with the team and there was a chance he could play on Wednesday. Anthony said he feels great again now that the bone has fully healed and is ready to play versus the Wizards.

“It feels great,” Anthony said on Wednesday. “It’s money time. I’m ready to make a run. I’m ready to have some fun. I’m 100% playing. I’m ready to play.”

The 15th overall pick last played on Feb. 9 and will return to a team that has overgone a drastic makeover. The Magic, in separate moves, traded Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier while acquiring R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris, Otto Porter Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr.

Anthony will now be tasked with adjusting to his new teammates while acting as the primary ballhandler. He will likely return to the starting lineup for the Magic, which will give the team a huge boost after dealing with several injuries recently.

As the point guard, Anthony wants to lead by example over the remainder of the season.

“(I want to keep) this young group of guys and this group engaged at all times,” Anthony said. “It’s a long season. We have 25 games left, that’s almost a college season. It’s a matter of keeping everyone engaged, keeping everyone locked in and being able to help everyone maintain a high level of play each night.”

Anthony, through 25 games played, is averaging 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season.

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Steve Clifford: Cole Anthony could play on Wednesday vs. Wizards

Anthony returned to practice on Tuesday, which could clear the way for the rookie to return to play versus the Wizards.

Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford said rookie Cole Anthony practiced on Tuesday and could play on Wednesday versus the Washington Wizards.

Anthony has not played since suffering a non-displaced fracture of the right first rib on Feb. 9. He began doing more shooting and dribbling drills and eventually progressed to some contact before returning to practice on Tuesday with the team.

Clifford said on March 27 that Anthony could be ready to return to play once the team wrapped up their five-game West Coast road trip that concluded on Sunday. The team will now see how Anthony feels following practice before determining his availability versus the Wizards.

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Anthony will return to the starting lineup once he is cleared to play, but will join a different team than when he last played.

Of course, the team, in separate moves, traded Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier while acquiring R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris, Otto Porter Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr. Anthony will now be tasked with adjusting to his new teammates while acting as the primary ballhandler.

Anthony, through 25 games played, is averaging 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season.

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Cole Anthony reacts to North Carolina head coach Roy Williams retiring

Anthony, who played the 2019-20 season at North Carolina under Williams, called it heartbreaking to see his former coach retire.

Hall of Fame head coach Roy Williams on Thursday announced his retirement after 33 years of coaching at the collegiate level, including the past 18 years at the University of North Carolina.

Williams, 70, finished third all-time in victories by a Division I head coach with 903 between North Carolina and Kansas. He posted the sixth-highest winning percentage in NCAA history and reached 900 wins in fewer games and seasons than any other coach in history.

He led the Tar Heels to three national titles and a 485-163 record while the program advanced to the Final Four three other times under his guidance. Williams leaves as the second-winningest head coach at North Carolina, behind only Dean Smith.

Prior to North Carolina, Williams spent 15 seasons as head coach at Kansas, amassing a 418-101 record. The Jayhawks made four trips to the Final Four with Williams, including two appearances in the national title game in 1991 and 2003.

With the news that Williams will retire, the decision had a profound impact on dozens around the sport, including his former players. Cole Anthony, who played the 2019-20 season under Williams, called it heartbreaking to see his former coach retire.

“Roy was a figure in my life who I could just talk to when I just wanted to put a smile on my face when I was down,” Anthony said. “He was my favorite coach that I ever played for. I’m really heartbroken to see him retire but he gets to spend time with his family now and I get to go bug him while he’s not coaching.”

During his 33 years as a head coach, Williams helped 32 players become first-round picks in the NBA with 52 players total in the league over that time. His legacy will go unmatched by only a few as his impact was greatly felt throughout the sport on and off of the court.

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