Magic at Clippers
The Orlando Magic are going through some ups and downs on their current road trip, though so far the downs are outweighing the ups. The Magic will try to bounce back from another discouraging loss when they make the fourth stop of a six-game trip by visiting the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Orlando began its trip by getting run off the floor in a 125-100 loss at Charlotte but bounced back by crushing Chicago 112-84 on Wednesday, only to squander a 19-point, first-half lead and drop a 120-103 decision at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. "We were just lazy, undisciplined and soft," Magic forward Aaron Gordon told reporters of the defense against the Timberwolves. "We didn't have it tonight on the defensive end and it's not OK at this point in the season." The Clippers snapped a two-game slide with a 121-111 win at Phoenix on Friday and gave most of the credit to their effort on the defensive end. "We had a tremendous defense," center Marcin Gortat told reporters. "We tried to communicate more and play harder than the last few games. When you play good defense, the offense starts rolling."
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Orlando), FS Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (17-21): Orlando put up 68 points in the first half on Friday but watched that number drop to 35 after the break as struggles on the defensive end bled over to the offense. "We didn't have nearly the defensive effort or mentality that we needed," Magic coach Steve Clifford told reporters. "And when things started to slip away, we stopped running the same quality of offense. (The Timberwolves) picked up their ball pressure, they were more physical, and they pushed us out, and that's when you have to be disciplined about running your stuff, playing for each other and moving the ball, which we didn't do." Orlando was also crushed 63-42 on the glass in falling for the sixth time in the last nine games.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (22-16): Los Angeles was once again led on the offense end Friday by small forward Danilo Gallinari, who scored 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go over 20 points for the eighth time in the last 10 games. The 30-year-old, who averages 19.6 points and is shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc, added a season-high six assists at Phoenix. Gortat's 18 points and 13 rebounds on Friday both marked season highs for the veteran, who has drifted in and out of coach Doc Rivers' rotation this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Magic SF Jonathon Simmons (ankle) collected six points, seven assists and six rebounds off the bench on Friday after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury.
2. Clippers G Lou Williams is averaging 24 points over the last six games.
3. Los Angeles eased to a 120-95 win at Orlando on Nov. 2 behind 28 points from Williams.