The Orlando Magic and Sprint are teaming up to offer fans the chance to win tickets to the Magic’s last regular season home game on Monday, April 15 vs. the Chicago Bulls. The sweepstakes will select 400 Central Florida winners who will receive two tickets to the game and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join in a special Magic fan appreciation event at Amway Center prior to the game. The fan appreciation event will include skill challenges on the Magic’s court, meet and greets with Magic legends and Magic Dancers team members, as well as prizes for those fans in attendance.
Fans can enter the sweepstakes by visiting www.sprint.com/unlimitedmagic. Sweepstakes ends Friday, March 29, 2013. Winners will be notified via e-mail on or around March 29.
Jameer Nelson: “Basketball is a game of mistakes, and when you make mistakes they capitalize on them. They’re a great team…I’ve played in a similar system that they’re playing and I know what they’re going to do but it’s still tough because they’re so athletic.”
Click below for interviews from Kyle O’Quinn, Maurice Harkless, and Tobias Harris:
After keeping even with the scorching Miami Heat for the first 33 minutes inside Amway Center, the Magic eventually succumbed to the best squad in basketball. The now 18-53 Magic dropped their seventh consecutive contest 108-94 on Monday evening. Miami drilled 15-of-28 three-pointers as Orlando couldn’t get their defense in order. Orlando didn’t have Nik Vucevic, but Miami was also without Dwyane Wade - or who knows how bad the beatdown could have been. Wade or not, it doesn’t matter when you have LeBron effortlessly posting 24 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds.
Coach Vaughn on LeBron: “He’s so big. He had the ability to survey the floor early on…He’s tough to guard. When he wants to score he cann score and when he wants to pass, he can do that as well.”
As if the injuries will never stop piling up, Andrew Nicholson suffered a sprained left ankle and did not return. That was early on in with the contest at just 13-13. Naturally, Jacque went with the super small Beno-Jameer-E’Twaun-Maurice-Tobias lineup on many occasions, refusing to play Al Harrington or give DeQuan Jones meaningful minutes. Orlando picked their poison with LeBron. Either double team James and eat an open jumper from guys like Mario Chalmers, or play man on LeBron and watch him travel and stroll through the lane. It was a 28-28 first period stalemate thanks to Jameer’s ten points.
Coach Vaughn on his squad: “A lot of good things tonight. 25 assists. I think we only had 3 turnovers in the first half and we were giving ourselves a chance to stay in striking distance.
The Orlando Magic were once again competitive with one of the NBA’s elite, but fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-89. The Miami Heat have now won 26 games in a row after defeating the Charlotte Bobcats Sunday night.
The Magic enter with a record of 18-52 while the Heat are 55-14.
This will be the third of four meetings between the two teams. In their first battle, the Heat survived, coming away with a 112-110 overtime victory. LeBron James dominated the extra period, scoring eight of the Heat’s 13 overtime points. James finished with 36 points and 11 assists on the night. Nikola Vucevic had a huge game for the Magic, finishing with 20 points, 29 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists. Arron Afflalo was Orlando’s leading scorer, tallying 28 points. The last time these two teams met, there were several controversial calls down the stretch and the Heat eventually came away with a 97-96 victory on a James game-winner. James finished with 26 points while Vucevic again dominated the Heat, finishing with 25 points and 21 rebounds.
They’ll meet again on the final day of the regular season.
The Magic rank 26th in offensive rating (99.3), 26th in defensive rating (106.7) and play at the league’s 15th-fastest pace (94.31). The Heat are first in offensive rating (110.5), ninth in defensive rating (101.7) and play at the league’s 22nd-fastest pace (93.11).
Tip-off from the Amway Center is scheduled for 7:00 pm EST and will be shown locally on FS Florida and nationally on ESPN. If you live in the Orlando area, the ESPN broadcast will be blacked out.
As always, if you can’t watch the game, you can listen on the radio – in English on AM 580 WDBO and FM 96.5 and in Spanish on AM 1270 WRLZ.
The officials for tonight’s game are Rodney Mott, Tony Brown and Scott Twardoski.
The Line: Miami – 13.0 (198.5)
Starters:
Miami Heat
Chris Bosh
Udonis Haslem
LeBron James
Mike Miller*
Mario Chalmers
Orlando Magic
Kyle O’Quinn#
Tobias Harris
Maurice Harkless
E’Twaun Moore
Jameer Nelson
*Heat guard Dwyane Wade missed Sunday’s win over the Bobcats to rest his sore right knee. Former Magic wing Mike Miller started in his place. He’ll be out again Monday.
Arron Afflalo is out for the rest of the season with a strained hamstring. E’Twaun Moore will likely start in his place.
#Nikola Vucevic is listed as “questionable” because of the concussion he suffered against the Indiana Pacers March 19. Vucevic hasn’t played in the last two games and likely won’t play Monday. Rookie Kyle O’Quinn started in his place Friday, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 27 minutes.
Heat Resources:
All U Can Heat
Heat Index
Hot Hot Hoops
Miami Herald
Peninsula is Mightier
The Sun-Sentinel
Andrew Melnick is the Senior blogger for Magic Basketball Online. You can follow him on twitter here.
The Orlando Magic recently announced that Jameer Nelson was named winner of the 2012-2013 Rich & Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award (CEA) Saturday night at the 23rd Annual Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) Black Tie & Tennies Gala presented by FAIRWINDS Credit Union held at the Amway Center. This marks the first time Nelson has won the award. The other finalist for the award included Glen Davis.
Each year at the Gala, the OMYF honors a player who has dedicated his efforts off the court for the purpose of enhancing other’s lives. A panel of external representatives selects the player. In addition to receiving the award, Nelson will be granted $50,000 from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation to donate to the charity of his choice. read more…
Orlando Magic guard Arron Afflalo will miss the rest of the season, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Afflalo, Orlando’s leading scorer, has a strained hamstring.
The Magic confirmed the initial report a few minutes later.
Afflalo was injured during the second quarter of Orlando’s 97-89 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night.
Afflalo, who was acquired from the Denver Nuggets in the offseason through the four team trade that sent Dwight Howard to Los Angeles, averaged a career-high 16.5 points per game on 43.9% shooting from the field, 30.0% shooting from beyond the arc and 85.7% shooting from the charity stripe. The six year veteran was also averaging 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
The 27-year old Afflalo is owed $7,750,000 in each of the next two seasons and has a player option for $7,937,500 for the 2015-2016 season.
Follow Andrew Melnick on twitter here.
Even though the Magic didn’t win tonight, Kyle O’Quinn and Maurice Harkless at least brought the “We All We Got” Glen Davis slogan back from last season. The great thing about these young guys is even though they’re getting a lot of touches and playing time, they don’t lose sight of the overall game result. It does “suck” to lose as Maurice stated, even when you have a career night.
Maurice Harkless: “The 1st half, I think I was a completely different player in the first half than the second half. The 1st half I wasn’t aggressive, especially when Arron went down I knew I had to step up and make plays and make things happen.”
Click below to see interviews from Jameer, Tobias, and Kyle.
19-year-old Maurice Harkless is earning stellar praise as his rookie season winds down, posting a career-high 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting with Kevin Durant guarding him in a 97-89 Oklahoma City Thunder victory. OKC’s leadership and calm nerves amid the frantic final minutes was what allowed the Thunder to prevail. Maurice also contributed 9 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks as Harkless has made leaps and bounds from November when he was still recovering from sports hernia surgery. It was thrilling to see Glen Davis pumped up on the bench and helping get all 17,429 Amway Center fans up on their feet down the stretch of a very physical contest. It was just another case of the Magic playing well against one of the best teams in the league, but falling short at the end.
OKC Coach Scott Brooks on Harkless: “He’s as talented as any player in this league. He’s a defensive guy. His shot has improved as the season went on. Tonight, I don’t know if it was his best game of the year, but it’s his best game since I’ve seen him.”
After playing the first 68 contests of the season, Nikola Vucevic missed his 2nd consecutive game of the season Friday night as it is now known that his ill symptoms have occurred because he suffered a concussion in Indiana. That meant rookie Kyle O’Quinn was tapped for his first career NBA start. It’s an early gift for Kyle who turns 23 years old on March 26th as Kyle posted 11 points and 9 rebounds in a solid follow-up to his career night in Madison Square Garden.
Coach Jacque Vaughn on Harkless: “He’s a competitor and you really saw that tonight. Just unselfish plays on both ends of the floor and I’m glad I’m his coach. I’m lucky. He’s an unbelievable human being and he’ll be ready to work tomorrow and the next day and be ready for the game after that.”
After losing to the New York Knicks Wednesday night, the Orlando Magic will return home to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night. It was the Magic’s fifth straight loss. The Thunder have lost their last two games, including a heartbreaking loss on a Marc Gasol tip-in at the buzzer to the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday
The Magic enter with a record of 18-51 while the Thunder are 50-19.
These two teams squared off exactly one week ago. The Thunder got out to a big lead but needed 69 combined points from Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook to hold off a late Magic rally, winning 117-104. Orlando got just six points from their bench, but their starters combined to score 98 points in the loss.
The Magic rank 25th in offensive rating (99.4), 26th in defensive rating (106.8) and play at the league’s 15th-fastest pace (94.25). The Thunder are second in offensive rating (110.1), fifth in defensive rating (99.5) and play at the league’s eighth-fastest pace (96.34).
Tip-off from the Amway Center is scheduled for 7:00 pm EST and will be shown locally on FS Florida.
As always, if you can’t watch the game, you can listen on the radio – in English on AM 580 WDBO and FM 96.5 and in Spanish on AM 1270 WRLZ.
The officials for tonight’s game are Joe Crawford, Curtis Blair and Sean Corbin.
The Line: Oklahoma City – 12.5 (208u)
Starters:
Oklahoma City Thunder
Kendrick Perkins
Serge Ibaka
Kevin Durant
Thabo Sefolosha
Russell Westbrook
Orlando Magic
Kyle O’Quinn
Tobias Harris
Maurice Harkless
Arron Afflalo
Jameer Nelson
Kyle O’Quinn has been tapped for his first career NBA start with Nikola Vucevic out from an illness caused by a concussion he suffered in Indiana on Tuesday. E’Twaun Moore started when Vucevic missed Wednesday’s game in NYC.
Thunder Resources:
Daily Thunder
The Oklahoman
Thunderous Intentions
Thunder Report
Welcome To Loud City
Andrew Melnick is a Senior blogger for Magic Basketball Online and a contributor at SB Nation. Andrew has covered the Orlando Magic for four years and also works as a radio host. You can follow him on twitter here.
It seems like many NBA fans don’t have a whole lot of interest in college basketball until the weeks leading up to the NBA draft. In some ways, it’s hard to blame them. The 35-second shot clock, short three-point line and sometimes seemingly constant poor decision-making are some of the reasons why it’s a frustrating game for NBA diehards.
That’s why MBO has decided to give you reasons to watch some of these games – many of the feature future NBA players! We’ll use Draft Express for our rankings because, well, we like Draft Express (DX).
Check out day one here.
Albany (15) vs. Duke (2), 12:15 pm EST, CBS
Duke, as they usually do, has several NBA prospects, led by center Mason Plumlee (12). Plumlee is 6’11 and is ranked the top senior in the draft. Plumlee’s brother, Miles, was selected 26th overall by the Indiana Pacers last year. Mason averaged 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 59.2% from the floor.6’4 guard Rasheed Sulaimon (61) averaged 11.5 points per game on 42.2/37.8/81.0. Forward Ryan Kelly (73), who is probably most known for his range as a shooter (and his injury this season), averaged 14.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. The 6’11 senior shoot 48.0/48.6/81.3. Senior guard Seth Curry (93), the little brother of Warriors guard Stephen Curry, averaged 17.0 points per game. The 6’2 combo guard is shot 46.3/43.0/81.7.
Ole Miss (12) vs. Wisconsin (5), 12:40 pm EST, TruTV
Ole Miss is led by Marshall Henderson. Henderson, known for his shooting (well, more for his talking), averaged 20.1 points per game on 38.5/35.7/88.0. Neither squad has anyone in the top 100.
Temple (9) vs. N.C. State (8), 1:40 pm EST, TBS
N.C. State was projected as a top 10 team, but finished just fifth in the ACC. They have five of the top 74 players, led by C.J. Leslie (30th). Leslie, a 6’9 junior forward, averaged 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 51.5/20.0/61.8. Freshman forward T.J. Warren (32) averaged 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. The 6’8 Warren shot 62.6/51.9/54.2 (keep in mind he took just .8 three-pointers per game). Point guard Lorenzo Brown (35) put up 12.1 points 7.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. The 6’4 junior shot 41.1/45.0/77.2. 6’4 Guard Rodney Purvis (50), a true freshman, averaged 8.5 points per game, shooting 44.3/38.5/51.2. Big man Richard Howell (74), who was perhaps N.C. State’s best player this year, averaged 12.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this season. The 6’8 senior shot 55.6% from the field.
Pacific (15) vs. Miami (2), 2:10 pm EST, TNT
Pacific, the home of the great Michael Olowokandi, doesn’t have any prospects this year. Miami, on the other hand, certainly does. Sophomore point guard Shane Larkin (40), the son of former MLB player Barry Larkin, is wrestling with the decision to enter the draft. The 5’11 Larkin, who attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, averaged 14.6 points, 4.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 48.6/40.9/76.3 this season. Kenny Kadji (64), is a 6’11, 240 lb power forward. The senior has averaged 13.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, shooting 48.0/35.7/68.1. The ‘Canes also feature other prominent seniors including Durand Scott, Trey McKinney Jones, Reggie Johnson and Julian Gamble.
It seems like many NBA fans don’t have a whole lot of interest in college basketball until the weeks leading up to the NBA draft. In some ways, it’s hard to blame them. The 35-second shot clock, short three-point line and sometimes seemingly constant poor decision making are some of the reasons why it’s a frustrating game for NBA die-hards.
That’s why MBO has decided to give you reasons to watch some of these games – many of the feature future NBA players! We’ll use Draft Express for our rankings because, well, we like Draft Express (DX).
Valparaiso (13) vs. Michigan State (4), 12:15 pm EST, CBS
Michigan State is always loaded with pro prospects. Shooting guard Gary Harris is the highest ranked prospect this season. Harris, a 6’4 freshman is rated as the 28th best prospect according to DX. Harris is averaging 12.9 points per game while shooting 46.3/41.3/75.6%. Junior power forward Adreian Payne is ranked 68th and is averaging 10.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Brendan Dawson is ranked one spot below Payne. He’s going for 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Bucknell (11) vs. Butler (6), 12:40 pm EST, TruTV
Butler has been one of the elite programs of the last few years, going to back to back national championship games in 2010 and 2011. They’ve produced NBA players like Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack. According to Draft Express, they don’t have a top 100 prospect this year. However, Bucknell does. Center Mike Muscala is DX’s 37th ranked player. The senior is averaging 19.0 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and shooting 52.0% from the field. He’s averaged double figures in scoring each of his four seasons, except for his freshman season in which he scored 9.9 points per game.
Wichita State (9) vs. Pittsburgh (8), 1:40 pm EST, TBS
Pittsburgh has earned a pretty good reputation NBA-wise and this year is no different. Freshman center Steven Adams, a New Zealand native, is averaging 7.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game this season. Adams is raw and needs a lot of work, but his size will probably make him a first round pick.
Magic forward Al Harrington could miss rest of the season.
Harrington, who has played in just 10 games because of several complications with his knee, including a staph infection, could be shut down for the rest of the season, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
“It’s really nothing to do with his knees,” Vaughn said.
“It’s a coach’s decision. I’ve talked to Al just about the remaining games that we have. He’s helped us in the wins at Philly and New Orleans. He’s proven that he can still play this game at a high level, and I’m going to give the opportunity to play to some of our young guys and give them some experience. I think he has experience at this game a little bit already.”
Harrington indicated after Wednesday’s game that he accepts Vaughn’s decision and that he hopes to use the rest of the regular season to continue to make progress on his knee, which developed a staph infection after arthroscopic surgery last May.
Harrington is averaging 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game this season. The 14-year veteran is shooting just 35.1% from the field.
Harrington is set earn $7.1 million next season and $7.6 in the following season, but only half of the money in each season is guaranteed.
Andrew Melnick is a Senior blogger for Magic Basketball Online and a contributor at SB Nation. Andrew has covered the Orlando Magic for four years and also works as a radio host. You can follow him on twitter here.
