Jalen Suggs has two highlight dunks, 15 points in win over Bulls Sunday
Suggs had 15 points and two steals to accompany his pair of highlight dunks Sunday. (photo credit: Orlando Magic on Facebook)
Any Gonzaga fan that saw Jalen Suggs pop up on their Instagram or Twitter feed twice in the span of a few minutes on Sunday may have thought they were about to witness the same video. Once they tapped in however, viewers were treated to two emphatic dunks from Suggs that came within mere minutes of each other.
On the play before Suggs’ first viral moment of the night, Chicago Bulls guard Demar DeRozan hit a step-back jumper over Suggs to cut the Magic’s lead down to 12 points with six minutes left in the game. That’s when Suggs took the ensuing inbound up the court, split two defenders around the 3-point line and then finished a powerful dunk right over DeRozan who went up to contest the basket.
The home crowd in Orlando expressed astonishment and excitement as Suggs’ coast-to-coast slam made it 103-89 Magic.
After the game, DeRozan, who dropped 41 points against the Magic despite losing 114-95, spoke highly of Suggs and his play as a rookie.
“I’ve been a fan of [Jalen’s] since he went to school in Minnesota,” DeRozan said according to USA Today. “I always watched him, even when he went to Gonzaga. He is a hell of a talent. I’m a fan of his. I have been a fan of his without him even knowing. (I just told him) to keep going, ‘You’re a hell of a talent. You can be very successful in this league.’ I’m rooting for him.”
The highlight reel didn’t end there for the former GU guard.
Four minutes later on defense, Suggs jumped in the Bulls’ passing lane to intercept a lobbing pass from Tony Bradley. Suggs then caught the ball mid bounce in transition and accelerated toward the hoop to bring down a two-handed 360 degree dunk that once again brought the crowd to its feet.
Suggs finished the game with 15 points on 4-for-10 shooting with seven assists and five rebounds to help propel the Magic to the team’s ninth win of the year.
The fifth overall pick in last year’s draft missed 20 games earlier this season with a thumb injury. Since returning for Orlando’s last six contests on Jan. 14, he’s averaged 14.8 points per game on 48.2% shooting, while averaging 5.5 assists and 1.3 steals a contest.
Suggs has started the last three games for Orlando at shooting guard and will likely continue at the position when the Magic face off against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
