Philip Rossman-Reich here, the host of the daily Locked On Magic podcast, with your daily Locked On Magic newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Magic and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Anthony Black makes a difference in winning
Nov 18, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) drives against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images|Rick Scuteri/Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
The scouting report on Anthony Black is still the same.
The 6-foot-7 guard is a handful to deal with but his weakness is a suspect shot. And so teams still have it in their heads to let him shoot it.
Black has made strides in this regard, but Black is still overcoming a lot of preconceived notions about his game. He is working to disprove them as he grows and develops as a player. And when the Phoenix Suns left him open Monday, he made them pay.
Black made three of five 3-pointers, including a step-back three. That is the warning sign that he is due for a big game. And when Black has a good game, the Magic typically win. When Black is hitting shots, it means he is playing with confidence.
The scouting report said to let Black shoot. But it had little to say about all the other ways he impacts a game. And the Orlando Magic are learning quickly that he is a barometer for their success.
He turned the win over the Philadelphia 76ers on its head with his energy, pace and aggression. He turned in perhaps the best game of his career with a season-high 20 points and a career-high nine assists against the Suns on Monday.
Black was in complete control and the Suns were at his whims.
“He was great,” Jamahl Mosley said. “He puts in so much work. Between ups and downs, but he just continues to work and stay the course. His ability to get out on the break, to stay confident in his shot, his ability to guard as well. I’m just happy for him because of the amount of work he has continued to put in.”
Black has been the biggest standout on the team to this point in the season. Players buzzed about him during training camp and there was excitement for what the second-year guard would do with a firmer role in the rotation.
Even with his modest stats, nobody probably could have predicted him being someone the Magic lean on to close games and being the best pure point guard on the roster.
Black is averaging 8.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. He is shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 30.6 percent from three. There is still room for improvement.
But Black’s play is correlated directly to winning. If you want a temperature check for this team, Black and how the Magic play in his minutes are usually a good sign.
Orlando is 8-0 in games where Black has a positive plus/minus and 1-6 in games where he has a negative plus/minus. Black averages 9.9 points per game and shoots a 57.8 percent true shooting percentage (and 41.7 percent from three) in wins compared to just 6.3 points per game and a 43.9 percent true shooting percentage (8.3 percent from three) in losses.
Everyone on the Magic saw this coming from Black with how he played in training camp. But even they probably could not predict Black would make this much of an impact.
“Not just recently, I feel like this whole year even in training camp everyone could see the strides he made in the offseason,” Franz Wagner said. “Obviously, he is really good at getting to the paint and he knows how to play. Some of the plays he makes off the dribble. It’s really tough to guard him. He’s 6-7, 6-8 almost moving like that, it’s really hard to defend.”
Black is still very young and plays like it at times. He still has a lot of room to grow. Moe Wagner said teammates are constantly urging him to stay on the attack and get to the basket.
His confidence is growing though. And that gives the Magic a lot of space to use him and let him loose.
It is working in major ways for the Magic right now.
The streak had to end sometime. Even the 2015-2016 Warriors only (“only”) got to 24 wins to start their season. Ironically, they’d go on to lose the title to the Cavs that season.
That Cleveland lost to the Celtics, in TD Garden, without Isaac Okoro and with Darius Garland shooting 3-21 — well only the first half of that stings. If Garland made two more of those field goals the Cavs would’ve taken the game, and Okoro, out with an ankle sprain, will be back.
This game was a tester for the Cavs. Beyond a match against the defending champs and a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview, it was an opportunity to see how the team responded to pressure, unfavourable conditions and expectation. NBA basketball is about winning, we all know this refrain well, but that the Cavs scoring dried up in crucial stretches while the team also fell into bad habits of turning the ball over in momentum-leeching moments, and they still managed multiple runs to come back within two, speaks pretty well to this group’s ability to respond.
What makes the Celtics so good, and a bit like a dream-crushing machine, is their ability to capitalize on and invert what usually brings their opponents wins. In the Cavs case, it’s their speed. Not just pure speed without aim, but their ability to push the pace within their offensive possessions because not one player tends to move in isolation from anyone else. Their lightning quick passing, their flashing cuts and counter-cuts, it’s all predicated on ball movement capitalizing on intuitive communication. A sixth sense of understanding where their teammates are on the floor at any given moment.
Boston was able to jam that up. Not entirely upend it, but chase with pace of their own enough that Garland at times appeared to be the pursued and not the pursuer. Where Garland rushed an offensive possession, where he went in for a fastbreak ISO drive to wrest the pace of the game back into his team’s hands, he bungled it. He’d botch an easy layup and go careening past the baseline, having to expend more energy to get back down the floor in the transition already underway. And the more he botched it, the faster he went. The Celtics saw this and upped the pressure on him, taking advantage of forced turnovers by draining three after three and all but eliminating a huge component of what’s made the Cavs so formidable — their rebounding.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Analysis How the Cavaliers’ offseason plan has turned them into the top team in the league so far this year. (ESPN)
Milestone Russell Westbrook becomes the first player in NBA history to record 200 triple-doubles. (CBS Sports)
Must Read The NBA’s three-point revolution has gotten extreme, begging the question: How many is too many?(The Washington Post)
Injury The Orlando Magic will be without Wendell Carter Jr. and Paolo Banchero for their matchup against the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell are also out for the Clippers. Injury report details the full list of absences. (Sports Illustrated)
Preview The Magic will take on the Clippers in a matchup at Amway Center at 8:00 PM ET. Read the preview.(NBA)
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Can Dalton Knecht Keep Up This Run?
Nov 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) react after scoring a three point basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images|Gary A. Vasquez/Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Dalton Knecht has recently become a focal point in NBA fantasy discussions, thanks to his electrifying performances on the court. In a standout game, Knecht scored 37 points, including nine three-pointers, with an impressive 75% shooting accuracy. This remarkable display has fantasy managers buzzing, as Knecht’s shooting streak positions him as a valuable asset in leagues.
Knecht’s Shooting Streak: A Fantasy Goldmine
Over the past four games, Knecht has been on a tear, shooting 22 of 33 from beyond the arc, equating to a 67% success rate. Such efficiency is rare and highlights his potential as a sharpshooter. For fantasy managers, Knecht is a must-add player, especially given his current role in the Lakers’ starting lineup. However, while his shooting spree is impressive, it’s important to manage expectations, as maintaining such a high percentage is challenging over the long term.
Injury Updates and Their Impact on Fantasy Rosters
Knecht’s rise comes at a time when injuries are shaking up NBA rosters. Norman Powell’s hamstring injury, for instance, has left a gap in the Clippers’ lineup. With Powell likely sidelined for at least a week, players like Kris Dunn and Amir Coffey might see increased roles, offering potential value for fantasy managers seeking replacements.
Click the button below to get updates on Zach Edey’s ankle injury, and how Bradley Beal’s calf continues to cause problems for fantasy managers
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Magic podcasts.
Franz Wagner’s All-Star case: How the Magic forward has leveled up Franz Wagner dazzled Monday with a stellar 32-point performance, leading the Orlando Magic to their sixth win in a row. Wagner won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week and a trip to San Francisco for All-Star Weekend seems inevitable as the Magic keep stacking up wins and Wagner keeps stacking up impressive performances.
The Orlando Magic’s road ahead, and the challenges that come with it The Orlando Magic have dazzled fans with a perfect 7-0 record at home, boasting a league-best +17.4 net rating. Yet, their road performance tells a different story, with a frustrating 1-6 record.
Orlando Magic’s playoff resilience shines in win over Philadelphia 76ers The NBA Cup is not the NBA Playoffs. But every moment this season is preparing the team eventually for those critical games in the spring. Their stunning victory over the Philadelphia 76ers showcased all the traits they will need as they prepare for the postseason.
