Even with Joakim Noah out, the Bulls were looking to continue their two-game win streak with a victory against the Magic. Yet nothing and no one was enough to stop the Orlando team from full-court domination last night.
The Magic showed good rhythm early in the game, grabbing a six-point lead in the first five minutes.
Derrick Rose, the Bulls’ all-star player, drove to the hole trying to regain some momentum for the Bulls. But Dwight Howard, Orlando’s all-star center, contested the shot and sent him down hard to the ground with two points while drawing the foul.
Stepping in to make the free-throw for a three-point play, Rose then headed to the locker room to recover from his recent collision with the human statue. With a hip injury, Rose was out for the night. In his absence, the Magic exploded with their pick-n-roll play much like a cat toying a lose string of yarn.
Vince Carter started to add points early in the game. Howard continued to rule on defense and offense in the first quarter with an impressive dunk and overall domination in the paint. Dwight’s large presence on the floor is certainly not just in size. He ran the floor with contributions from all starters including Matt Barnes, Carter, Jameer Nelson, and Rashard Lewis.
Could the Magic miss? With 10 of 12 to start the game at 5:20 left in the first quarter, it seemed they were going to continue on their hot streak.
With 4:35 to go, Nelson set up a thunderous ally-oop to Howard! The Bulls responded with a quick drive and couple of points by Tyrus Thomas but were unable to regain any advantage.
Jason Williams with the steal and the bucket toward the end of the first pushed the score to 41-17. Sad in a way, appeared the game concluded before the end of the first quarter.
Williams came on strong at the start of the second quarter and the Bulls’ offense continued to make staggered plays. Redick joined in to add some points from the outside, playing his aggressive style from second-one.
Howard continued to be strong on the inside with nine rebounds. Unfortunately, fitting a pattern as of late, found himself in foul trouble early.
Marcin Gortat checked in and Mickael Pietrus also stepped up as the Magic went on to destruct the Bulls’ on both ends of the court. Chicago was continually coming up short of the bucket, meaning turnovers for the Magic who had solid rebounds throughout the game. Luol Deng and company were unable launch the Bulls’ offense, grasping for a comeback with aggressive drives to the basket, ultimately falling short of closing the point gap.
Redick, aiming for a long-shot beyond the arc (so far downtown the front doors were in view), threw a prayer while John Salmons collided, forcing an air ball. With 3:50 left in the second, Redick was sent to the line for three more. Demonstrating his solid free-throw technique, Redick laid in some easy points. Revitalizing what was a temporary slow down for the Magic, Howard stepped back in to rebound over the heads of three Bulls on offense, making his way to his 41st double-double of the year. Salmons continued to make some positive plays for Chicago nearing the end of the first half.
Starting the second half, down 67-45, the Bulls came out trying to chip away at the Magic’s lead. They earned a quick couple points, but the Magic picked right up where they left off.
The third quarter left little scoring opportunities for both teams. The Bulls’ Kirk Hinrich went one-on-one with Howard and Salmons started a run bringing the opposition to within 20.
Barnes came in aggressive following a time out, making it to the line and looking to get more points on the board. Shooting well from the three-point range, Magic started dropping bombs all over the court. Nelson threw up another ally-oop to Howard, just like a warning signal meant to keep predators at bay.
Taking an offensive foul against Thomas, Howard was taken out of the game by mid-third quarter with 18 points. Nevertheless, Magic held a comfortable 84-64 lead.
Orlando started the last period with Lewis, Gortat, Redick, Pietrus, and Williams. Thomas kicked off for the Bulls with a jump-shot while, for the Magic, traveling was called on Pietrus and both Lewis and Williams fired off missed shots. The Bulls then hit a fast-break for an ally-oop and Coach Van Gundy was quick to call the time out.
Coming off the break, Orlando moved the ball well. Redick earned an assist with a toss to Gortat and an impressive dunk. Magic were on fire with all starters in double digits and looked great from beyond the three-point arc.
Approaching the five-minute mark, Pietrus soared in and swatted the ball away from Thomas. The swat signified the overall outcome of the game. With Chicago missing two of its key players, there was not too much drama for the night and the Magic successfully held a game-long lead to earn a 107-84 final.
By: Leslee Remburg, Team Career
