Tag: Orlando Magic

Billy Donovan discusses Bulls’ turnover problems in loss to Magic

After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Orlando Magic, Billy Donovan spoke about their turnover problems.

The Chicago Bulls took on the Orlando Magic on Sunday in a game that was crucial to both of their places in the Eastern Conference standings. The Magic are in a battle with the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers for seeding in the East. Meanwhile, the Bulls are fighting to remain in the ninth seed above the Atlanta Hawks.

The Bulls and Hawks are all but locked into a matchup in the 9-10 game of the Play-In Tournament. However, it’s still unknown who will be the ninth seed and earn home-court advantage. And if the Bulls want to stay in that spot, they need to play better.

Chicago lost to the Magic by a score of 113-98, and after the game, head coach Billy Donovan spoke about their turnover issues. (H/t ESPN)

“We’re not going to win turning the ball over 21 times,” Donovan said. “Some of it was carelessness with the ball, but it was like everyone contributed to it. There was a wide range of turnovers.”

Chicago turned the ball over 21 times against Orlando, and the Magic scored 14 fastbreak points.

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DeMar DeRozan scolds Bulls’ play after tough loss to Magic

After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Orlando Magic, DeMar DeRozan spoke about the team’s need to be better.

The Chicago Bulls have entered the point of the season where every game matters. As they fight for their spot in the Play-In Tournament, where they will almost certainly be playing the Atlanta Hawks in the 9-10 game, their play needs to be consistent. They can’t afford to be dropping easy games, and they need to stay competitive in the tough ones.

On Sunday night, the Bulls traveled to Florida to take on the Orlando Magic, who are also fighting for playoff seeding. The Bulls failed to pull through, as the Magic earned a 113-98 victory, improving their standing in the East playoff picture.

After the game, DeMar DeRozan spoke about the team’s need to be better down the stretch of the season. (H/t ESPN)

“We are coming to a point where we can’t play those [erratic] games,” DeRozan said. “The reality is you don’t want the other side of it.”

DeRozan finished the game with 30 points, three rebounds, and five assists while shooting 13-of-22 from the field.

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Former Vols’ NBA results for April 7

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Sunday.

Three former Vols competed in the NBA on Sunday.

Oklahoma City defeated Charlotte, 121-118, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Grant Williams totaled 19 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block for the Hornets in 38 minutes.

He converted 7-of-10 field goal attempts, 2-of-2 three-point attempts and 3-of-4 free throw attempts.

Orlando defeated Chicago, 113-98, at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.

Admiral Schofield played one minute for the Magic and did not record any statistics, while Julian Phillips was in active for the Bulls.

Boston defeated Portland, 124-107, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Jaden Springer played one minute for the Celtics and recorded one steal.

Philadelphia defeated San Antonio, 133-126, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Tobias Harris did not play for the 76ers due to a knee injury.

Should the Chicago Bulls target Orlando Magic big man Jonathan Isaac?

The Bulls could use some younger, more reliable frontcourt depth able to stop opposing offenses.

Should the Chicago Bulls target Orlando Magic big man Jonathan Isaac? The Bulls could use some younger, more reliable frontcourt depth able to stop opposing offenses, and Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley has a player in the NBA’s Eastern Conference in mind to do the job for the Bulls next season.

Pointing out just how bad Chicago’s offense can be this season compared to last, the B/R analyst suggests that “the Bulls should still be in the market for more stoppers, especially a hyperactive, all-purpose defender like … Isaac. He has played a big part in the ascension of Orlando’s defense, but given his lengthy injury history, you wonder whether the Magic want to keep relying on him going forward.”

“They desperately need more offense, too, so it feels like they might be one of the few teams actually interested in Zach LaVine,” adds Buckley.

He proposes that “if there is a blockbuster deal to be made between the teams, the Bulls would be wise to want Isaac included in it,” and for our part, we’d have to agree.

The Magic big man has not had the best injury luck in his career thus far, but with other parts coming back in such a deal, could be one of the better options to retool the roster in a hurry.

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Orlando Magic could go after D’Angelo Russell this summer

D’Angelo Russell may not be a member of the Lakers for long, and at least one other team will have interest in him this summer.

D’Angelo Russell has been playing at a high level for the Los Angeles Lakers for over two months. But as hot as his 3-point shooting has often been, his days with the team could be numbered.

He has a player option for next season that he could decline to become a free agent this offseason. While Russell has said he would love to remain with L.A. beyond this season, no one can be entirely confident about what the future will hold.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic said recently the Orlando Magic could be poised to make a run at Russell.

“Orlando’s the team,” Buha said. “Orlando is the team that talking to people with the Lakers, talking to people outside the Lakers, Orlando is the team that probably gives them the most concern in terms of a potential suitor.”

The Magic have been a surprise team from the start of the season. They missed the play-in tournament with a 34-48 record last year, but this year, second-year big man Paolo Banchero has emerged as an All-Star. As a result, they are fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Adding Russell to an emerging group could make the Magic a dark-horse team in the East while leaving L.A. with a void in the backcourt.

Former Vols’ NBA results for March 27

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Wednesday.

Two former Vols competed in the NBA on Wednesday, while two were inactive.

The Clippers defeated Philadelphia, 108-107, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Tobias Harris started at forward for the 76ers and totaled 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 38 minutes.

He converted 5-of-9 field goal attempts, 2-of-3 three-point attempts and 2-for-2 free throw attempts.

Charlotte defeated Cleveland, 118-111, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Grant Williams recorded 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in 31 minutes for the Hornets.

He converted 6-of-8 field goal attempts, 2-for-2 three-point attempts and 2-for-4 free throw attempts.

Golden State defeated Orlando, 101-93, at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. Admiral Schofield did not play for the Magic due to a coach’s decision.

Chicago defeated Indiana, 125-99, at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Julian Phillips was inactive for the Bulls.

Paolo Banchero makes trip to deliver Gatorade NPOY award to Duke signee and projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg joins prestigious club as he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, and Duke great Paolo Banchero was there to give him the trophy.

The Brotherhood is genuine. People may not believe it, but Duke’s basketball brotherhood is authentic, and at this point, Duke has infiltrated basketball at all levels.

Former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero is in the midst of his second NBA season, and it’s been an exceptional year. He was named an All-Star for the first time and he’s led his Orlando Magic team into the playoff picture with a 42-29 record.

Before his days as the face of the Magic franchise, he spent a tremendous year in Durham as the face of Duke’s program during Coach K’s last season as head coach of the Blue Devils. While Duke came up short, losing to UNC in the Final Four, Banchero brought Duke to the national semifinals for the first time since 2015.

The mesmerizing, do-it-all power forward averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds as the focal point of their offensive attack. So it only makes sense that Banchero would pass that torch to the next do-it-all forward with a chance to be a No. 1 NBA draft pick.

Duke signee, the Class of 2024’s top overall recruit, and projected No. 1 draft pick in the 2025 NBA draft Cooper Flagg was named Gatorade Player of the Year on Wednesday, and Banchero was there to deliver the good news and the trophy to him.

It’s a full circle moment for Flagg, who grew up a Duke fan and is now months away from heading to Durham to write his chapter in the same way Banchero did.

Flagg, who was also named the Naismith High School Boys’ Player of the Year, led the No.1-ranked Montverde Academy to a 30-0 regular season record.

Like Banchero, Flagg is a dynamic forward capable of doing anything on the floor. The two differ mainly in the scoring department, where Banchero probably had a little more diversity in his ability to score the ball. Still, Flagg can pass, shoot, and dribble, and he is a better defender than Banchero was at this stage of his career.

Either way, Duke’s 2025 season will center on the newly minted Gatorade National Player of the Year’s ability to dominate on the basketball court. A Final Four trip like Banchero’s would be an incredible accomplishment for his likely one-year college career.

Should the Chicago Bulls target Orlando’s Moritz Wagner in free agency?

The presence of Mo’s star brother Franz on Orlando’s roster as well could throw a wrench in such a move.

The sages that they are, the Rolling Stones remind us that while we don’t always get what we want, if we try sometimes, we get what we need. And such would be the outcome if the Chicago Bulls were to make a move this coming offseason that Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey describes as a “reasonable” trade for the Bulls to make.

The target in question? Orlando Magic big man Moritz Wagner. “With Andre Drummond set to potentially enter free agency, Nikola Vucevic is the only true big man under contract for the Chicago Bulls next season,” writes Bailey on the future of Chicago’s front court.

“Another center would help, and … Wagner has quietly developed into one of the league’s more reliable backups,” he adds.

“This season, he’s averaging 11.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in just 18.1 minutes, while shooting 66.8% on 2s,” he notes.

It’s certainly within the Bulls’ reach to land a bigger name big man, but Wagner is indeed a reasonable target who could likely be signed by the right ball club if the Magic are ready to move on.

The presence of Mo’s star brother Franz on Orlando’s roster as well could throw a wrench in such a move if it matters to the more athletic brother. But with their own frontcourt crunch, we could see such a move take shape.

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Former Vols’ NBA results for March 19

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Tuesday.

Two former Vols competed in the NBA on Tuesday as their respective teams went head-to-head against each other.

Orlando defeated Charlotte, 112-92, at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. Orlando won its fourth consecutive game.

Grant Williams, who joined the Hornets at the NBA trade deadline, totaled five points, three assists and one assist in 23 minutes. He was traded to Charlotte from Dallas and was a first-round selection (No. 22 overall) by Boston in the 2019 NBA draft.

He converted 2-of-6 field goal attempts and 1-of-2 free throw attempts.

Admiral Schofield recorded five points, one rebound and one steal for the Magic in six minutes.

He converted 2-of-3 field goal attempts and 1-for-1 three-point attempts.

The Magic posted (and deleted) a suggestive Gradey Dick jersey swap post-game photo

The Orlando Magic social team, probably: “Now you see it. Now you don’t.”

Gradey Dick and Anthony Black drove social media into a frenzy after the pair came up with the idea to do a highly suggestive jersey swap on Sunday. Somehow, the Orlando Magic’s social media team got involved and was convinced to post a photo to X (formerly Twitter) capturing the moment. However, they quickly realized they had made a grave mistake and deleted the photo after fans figured out what was happening.

Jersey swaps are one of the coolest things sports have to offer. If a player respects another player, they may hit up another player for a little postgame jersey swap. (You know. Game recognizes game.) That’s what people thought was happening when they caught Toronto Raptors wing Gradey Dick and Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black swapping jerseys. However, something even more sinister was being cooked up.

Gradey and Anthony completely bulldozed the lines of what isn’t safe for work and got the Magic social team involved. The team tweeted and deleted a photo of the swap before realizing that things like this should not be on a professional team’s account.

(Warning: NSFW language.)