The Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic opened up the scrimmage schedule for the NBA season restart in Orlando. The Clippers came out a little bit flat, but were able to figure things out and come away with a 99-90 win over the Magic. Paul George and Lou Williams led the way for Los Angeles, while Orlando got a nice showing from Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon. Let’s take a look at some notable stats from each team.
Los Angeles Clipper stats
Lou Williams: 22 points
Paul George: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Kawhi Leonard: 9 points, 3 rebounds
Orlando Magic stats
Nikola Vucevic: 18 points, 10 rebounds
Michael Carter-Williams: 16 points
Terrence Ross: 14 points
Aaron Gordon: 13 points, 7 rebounds
Takeaways
Early in the game, the Magic looked more like a middle of the pack playoff team than the No. 8 seed. They didn’t even have Jonathan Isaac back yet, too. Carter-Williams stood out facilitating the offense, and Vuce and Gordon looked in form. Had it not been for a run to close the third quarter, this game could have come down to the wire.
Ultimately, it didn’t, thanks to Lou Williams and Paul George. While Kawhi looked off for most of the game, luckily the Clippers will get some re-enforcements when Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley get back to the bubble. A name we’ve got to mention is Joakim Noah, who joined the Clippers before the pandemic hit. He looked great in the starting lineup, setting picks and making solid passes out from the paint. Jo is a veteran from his time with the Bulls, so he could be an X-Factor against teams like the Lakers and Nuggets.