Magic beat Grizzlies 101-99, have best start since 2009-10 season

EMPHIS, Tenn. — The surprising Orlando Magic just keep chugging along.

Not even an injury to point guard D.J. Augustin or three turnovers in the final minute by Terrence Ross stopped them Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Augustin strained his left hamstring late in the second quarter, leaving the Magic with just one healthy point guard. But the Magic still beat the Grizzlies 101-99 following a pulse-pounding finish at the FedEx Forum.

“I can’t be more proud of them just scratchin’ and clawin’ and finding a way tonight,” Magic coach Frank Vogel said.

Evan Fournier scored a team-high 22 points for the Magic while Aaron Gordon added 19, including a crucial 3-pointer late in the game.

And Shelvin Mack, the team’s third-string point guard, handled the bulk of the ball-handling duties after Augustin left the game. In 25 minutes, Mack scored nine points and dished out eight assists.

Memphis’ Marc Gasol tied the score 97-97 when he sank a turnaround fadeaway jumper over Nikola Vucevic with 1:45 to play. After Ross missed a jumper on Orlando’s next trip down the court, Memphis took a 99-97 lead when Gasol drove past Vucevic and banked the ball in off the glass.

But on the Magic’s subsequent possession, in a play originally designed for Fournier, Fournier hurled a pass to Gordon in the left corner. Gordon then swished a 3-pointer that put the Magic ahead 100-99 with 51.7 seconds left.

“There’s more to come,” Gordon said. “Obviously, I’m happy but I’m not satisfied. I’m definitely at peace with where my shot is now, but there’s just more to come.”

Ross struggled in the final minute. After his first turnover, the Grizzlies missed a layup in transition when Vucevic bumped Mario Chalmers but wasn’t whistled for a foul. Then Ross stepped out of bounds with 26.8 seconds to play.

But Memphis (5-3) couldn’t take advantage of Ross’ second error.

Chalmers missed a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left, and rookie Jonathan Isaac collected the rebound before a Grizzlies foul forced the Magic to inbound the ball.

Ross threw the inbounds pass, and Tyreke Evans intercepted it. The Grizzlies pushed the ball upcourt and generated a potential go-ahead 3-pointer for rookie Dillon Brooks, but Brooks missed the shot.

“We had so many opportunities that we just messed around with that could have put us over the hump,” Memphis coach David Fizdale said. “You can’t mess with the game like that. You just can’t do it.”

With their victory, which was made easier by the absence of injured Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, the Magic improved to 6-2, their best start since they opened the 2009-10 season with a 6-2 record.

“These are just early signs,” Vogel said. “It’s still really early in the season. Again, we dodged a bullet with Michael Conley being out. We had a weakened opponent and we took advantage. But there were a lot of situations last year where we wouldn’t have won this game regardless.”

The Magic also snapped a nine-game losing streak in Memphis, winning here for the first time since Jan. 23, 2008.

Orlando had some good fortune. Isaac launched a long 3-pointer that banked in off the glass and extended the lead to 97-92 with 3:46 to play.

Orlando also overcame some bad luck. Augustin, who started Orlando’s last six games with Elfrid Payton injured, got hurt when he made a fast-break layup late in the second quarter. Augustin grabbed his left leg when he landed and then sat onto the court as his teammates defended 4-on-5.

A team official said Augustin strained his left hamstring.

Augustin didn’t return to the game, and he limped out of the FedEx Forum to the team bus gingerly. His absence could be costly. Although he sometimes struggles to defend, particularly against taller point guards, opponents respect his long-range shooting ability. That, in turn, spaces the court for his teammates.

Payton is recovering from a left-hamstring injury of his own. Originally hurt on Oct. 20, he has intensified his rehabilitation routine lately. Before Wednesday’s game, he ran, shot baskets and lifted weights.

“I’m doing better,” Payton said after the win. “I’m pretty close, but like I’ve been saying the whole time, hamstrings are tricky. There’s still a little pain there. But every day we’ve been progressing, doing more and more stuff. So I’m close.”

Source: orlandosentinel