ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic defeated the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night, 120-95, to advance from the Play-In Tournament to the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Recap: Magic beat Hawks behind 4th-quarter surge; advance to face Boston in playoffs
After the game, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley, guard Cole Anthony, forward Paolo Banchero and center Wendell Carter Jr. met reporters postgame to discuss the result.
Here’s what they had to say.
“I mean that was a big-time team effort, by committee. These guys all stepped up, played their role, did what was asked, followed the game plan. I think our defensive effort, what Coach Osbourne has done with these guys in order to help them defend the right way and follow the game plan was absolutely incredible.”
“Because we’ve been there before. You know, I think we’ve been in these situations in the close games at home, our ability to get the stops and get the runs at the right time was very big for us. But you saw the group come together on the court when they went on the run. I think we had six-to-one fouls in that third quarter, but our ability to not let that rattle us and then dig in on the defensive end and get out and get some easy baskets. Now that created the momentum, our crowd got into it and that just propelled us.”
“I mean it’s been up and down for him. I mean, 26 points tonight, but just his energy, his spark, his juice, what he provides for this team coming off that bench. He plays fearlessly and that’s how we need him to continue to play. It’s been up and down because there’s been moments when, you know, we talked about it earlier in the year, he was out of the rotation and then he found a way the next time down, he walks himself back in and helps us win the Miami game. So that’s just who he is, his resiliency, his toughness, his spark that he gives his team off the bench is just – it’s what we need.”
“They were big. I think AB’s defense at different times was fantastic, being able to get into the passing lane, attacking the basket, getting downhill, making the right plays. I think Dell was the biggest key to this game right now. He started the game that way. His physicality, his presence, his rebounding, his toughness set the tone from the beginning of the game, and I think that’s what we’re going to continue to need from him.”
“It says a lot about the group. It says a lot about the coaches, it says a lot about these players, that there’s a level of toughness and resiliency to them and I’ve said it time and time again – this group is enough, no matter who’s on the floor. They’ve proven that they’re enough to do…at any given time, no matter the circumstances and what that adversity did, was [that] it created opportunity. It created opportunity for guys that might not have gotten it before, and you’re able to see guys step up. So, in these big moments and big games that they’ve been in, we’ve probably had 30+ close games. These guys have been in them, so they understand that [in] these moments, they’re enough to make the shot, they’re enough to make the right play and that’s what you see these guys doing. Making the right play at the right time because of what we went through early on, that they understand their confidence level and who they are and who they are to this team.”
“Extremely. I mean, we got [off] to a hot start. They went on their own run; I think [they] cut it to four (points) in the third quarter and you know, we weathered the storm. We didn’t let them back in the game from that point on and we just kept playing our game. You know, we got stops, we pushed the pace and we held a really good offensive team to [95] points. So, I mean, that’s high level right there.”
“It meant a lot. [It] meant a lot. You know, it was a big game. I was just happy to make the rotation, I’ll be honest. I didn’t know Mose (Jamahl Mosley) was going to rock with me tonight, but this was just an awesome game to be a part of. I was just happy to be out there and, you know, do something to feel like I was contributing to the team. And so, great win but, you know, this was a full team effort; Dell (Wendell Carter Jr.), A.B. (Anthony Black), P (Paolo Banchero), Franz (Wagner), J.I. (Jonathan Isaac). Everyone who stepped on the court contributed, so that’s just a great team effort.”
“Yeah, I thought we did a good job of just… everyone, you know, under control, calm. There were some moments where, you know, one or two guys would get frustrated at the ref or, you know, maybe frustrated with each other really quick, and guys just were able to tell each other to relax, regroup, and shake it off quickly. That’s just what a good team does. That’s what a tight locker room does and, you know, we were able to do that.”
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve known Jayson (Tatum) since I was going into college. You know, I see him every summer. [He’s] a guy that I’m very familiar with. One of the guys I go to for advice and stuff like that but, you know, obviously now we’re competing. I think the best way for me to show my respect is to give him my best effort and go at him as much as I can. I’m excited for the matchup and, you know, I’m just excited to be in the playoffs in general. We had an up and down season, so the fact that we were able to clinch the seven seed with this game and give ourselves a chance to go into Boston and make some noise, I’m just happy about that but definitely looking forward to the challenge.”
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