Orlando Magic (42-36) beat New Orleans Pelicans (25-54) 112-108 on the road on Sunday, April 5, after falling far behind. The Magic were down 8 at one quarter break and still finished 4 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Magic struck first, taking the opening quarter 29-28 and a 1-point lead after one. The Pelicans moved in front with a 32-23 second quarter, carrying a 8-point lead into halftime.
The Magic won the third 29-28 to stay in front, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The Magic took the fourth 31-20; the Magic completed the comeback for a 112-108 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Magic grabbed 29.6% of their own misses, while the Pelicans recovered 18%. The Magic took better care of the ball, turning it over on 12.3% of possessions compared with 14.2% for the Pelicans. In a 4-point game, the second chances kept adding up.
The Pelicans did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 33.3 against 26.9. The Magic made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 106 possessions per team, the Magic produced 105.8 points per 100 possessions to 102 for the Pelicans.
Who carried the comeback
Saddiq Bey was the game's biggest individual force for NOP: 32 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast on 10-24 shooting. His Game Score of 21.1 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 23 pts, 16 reb, 6 ast on 6-14 shooting, good for a 20.7 Game Score.
Yves Missi (18 pts, 13 reb, 3 ast) and Paolo Banchero (23 pts, 16 reb, 6 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 49% for the Magic.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Orlando Magic lead 3-0.
The Magic are now 42-36, and the Pelicans are 25-54. The Magic last five before this game: W-L-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.