Magic Step Up Against Chicago

The Orlando Magic stepped up their defensive intensity and registered a 104-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The win secured a four-game sweep for the Magic over the Bulls.

What went right:

1. Great defense- Aside from Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng, the Bulls scorers couldn’t find the bottom of the nets. Orlando held Chicago to just 40% shooting from the field (32-80), and just 84 points.

2. Nice production from the frontcourt- Orlando’s big three of Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Dwight Howard combined for 61 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks. They outplayed the Bulls starting frontcourt in every facet of the game.

3. Hot shooting- Orlando connected on 49.3% of their shots from the field (34-69), and were led by Hedo Turkoglu’s 24 points (9-17 from the field).

4. Good bench production- Every Magic reserve scored with the exception of J.J. Redick, and the bench accounted for 30 points.

5. Rebounding- The Magic had a complete team rebounding effort as they outworked the Bulls on the glass, 43-38. Reserve guard Keith Bogans led the team in rebounding for the first time this year as he grabbed 7 boards.

6. Good work from behind the arc- The Magic connected on 11 of their 27 three point attempts for 40.7%. They played good three-point defense as they held the Bulls to just 35.3% from long distance (6-17). Rashard Lewis led Orlando with 4 three-point shots.

7. Good hands on D- Orlando forced 18 Chicago turnovers which led to 13 Magic points. Orlando also recorded 12 steals, which is nearly twice their season average.

MVP- Hedo Turkoglu- Turk was the creator for the Orlando offense as he scored 24 points, dished out 8 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds. Hedo did a lot of his damage in the third quarter when the Magic took a close game and pushed the lead out to double-digits.