The Magic never got off the ground in this game. A very poor defensive showing in the first half put them way behind. By halftime, the Magic were down by 22 points. The starting five played decently on the offensive end, but the defensive end was wide open. Every time the Magic made a good play, they turned the ball over. The Magic bench was never a factor in this game. If we are going to win any games on the road, the bench has to put up good numbers. In close games, the depth of the bench can decide who wins the game.
In the second half, the Magic put up a little fight. They tightened up the defense a tick and passed the ball well. Dwight Howard had a fairly good game overall, 23 points and 10 rebounds. However, I felt he was shying away from the defensive end. He wasn't blocking shots and he wasn't helping out on penetration in the lane. Kelvin Cato went down hard in the third, immediately grabbing his left wrist. Early reports were a subluxation in the left shoulder - he will be listed as day-to-day.
