The Orlando Magic’s player-availability scenario went from unhealthy to worse for his or her highway matchup towards the Brooklyn Nets.
Eight of the Magic’s 15 standard-roster gamers had been sidelined for Monday’s 109-102 loss at Barclays Center due to damage/sickness, leaving them with 9 out there gamers — seven signed to plain contracts and their two-way gamers (Kevon Harris and Admiral Schofield).
Player-availability points aren’t new for the Magic.
They’ve had a minimum of 5 gamers sidelined every recreation and had 113 total player games missed to injury/illness — the most in the league.
But what they skilled Monday was essentially the most extreme their player-availability predicament has been.
“I haven’t seen anything like this,” coach Jamahl Mosley stated following the 133-103 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday within the first recreation of the back-to-back. “I really haven’t. There was the COVID[-19] hit, there was the injury [hit] — I haven’t seen much like this. It’s something different.”
The undermanned Magic (5-16) battled the Nets (11-11) wire-to-wire and confirmed improved effort in comparison with Sunday, however Kevin Durant led Brooklyn with 45 factors on 19-of-24 capturing, together with 28 within the second half, to offer Orlando its fifth consecutive loss.
Paolo Banchero (24 factors on 9-of-17 capturing to go together with 5 assists, 4 rebounds and a couple of steals), Bol Bol (24 factors on 10-of-15 capturing and three of 6 on 3s) and Franz Wagner (21 factors on 8-of-16 capturing), led the Magic.
Gary Harris added 19 factors, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a couple of blocks.
The Magic solely made 59.1% of their free throws (13 of twenty-two), which was a major issue of their loss.
Wagner, Harris, Banchero, Bol and Caleb Houstan (3 factors, 7 rebounds) began. It was the primary begin for Houstan, the Magic’s second-round (No. 32 total) decide in June’s draft.
Schofield, Kevon Harris, R.J. Hampton and Moe Wagner rounded out the out there nine-man rotation.
Monday was the primary time the beginning unit performed collectively.
The up-and-down availability resulted within the Magic being certainly one of three groups, together with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers, who haven’t had a single five-man lineup play a minimum of 70 minutes collectively getting into Monday.
“It’s not an excuse,” Mosley stated. “Trying to find rotations [and] find guys you’re trying not to burn down on minutes because you’ve got a back-to-back, those are situations you have to continue to take into consideration as we go forward.”
Cole Anthony (torn proper inner indirect), Wendell Carter Jr. (strained proper plantar fascia pressure), Markelle Fultz (fractured left huge toe), Jonathan Isaac (left knee damage restoration), Terrence Ross (sickness) and Jalen Suggs (proper ankle soreness) had been dominated out early Monday afternoon.
Mo Bamba (again spasms) and Chuma Okeke (left knee soreness) had been game-time selections earlier than being dominated out lower than an hour earlier than tipoff.
There’s optimism that Anthony and Fultz might be out there to play quickly.
The Magic’s subsequent recreation will come towards the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday at Amway Center.
Fultz was questionable to play Sunday however was dominated out pregame, with Mosley saying “we’re just going to give it a couple of more days” when requested about Fultz’s standing. Fultz, who has but to play this season after fracturing the toe late within the offseason, instructed the Orlando Sentinel on Nov. 9 that he hoped to return “within the next 3-4 weeks” — a time-frame of Wednesday-Dec. 7.
Anthony, who’s missed the final 16 video games, instructed the Sentinel Sunday that he anticipated to be again very quickly however didn’t disclose a date. A supply instructed the Sentinel earlier within the month that he hoped to return to play after Thanksgiving in late November/early December.
“When we do get healthy, there will be a rhythm to the game and understand some of the rotations,” Mosley stated. “With that being said, we’re still going to have to look at different combinations, and lineups. The message to our guys is when you step on that floor, it’s about competing [and] fighting.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or comply with him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com