Magic Grit & Grind, But Fall vs. Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies were the better team in their win against the Orlando Magic Thursday night.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 5, 2023

Magic Grit & Grind, But Fall vs. Grizzlies /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic (14-25) couldn't repeat the result from the night before, losing to the Memphis Grizzlies (25-13) in a 123-115 defeat at Amway Center on Thursday.

The game started off slow with both teams flexing stout defensive schemes against one another, but the Grizzlies slowly began to have their offense match up to par.

The Grizzlies outscored the Magic 43-23 in the second quarter, building a 22-point halftime lead. Memphis led by as much as 25 points, but the Magic wasn't going to go away easy.

Trailing by 17 with just over five minutes to go, the Magic put together an 17-6 run to make it a two-possession game where Orlando was down by just six points. But Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. had other ideas.

Morant and Jackson won the game tonight for the Grizzlies with each of them scoring 30+ in the win. Magic rookie Paolo Banchero also chipped in 30 of his own, a team-high for Orlando.

The Magic proved once again that its opponents can't count them out and have to play 48 good minutes against them. It's an outstanding quality to have as a young team and it will only help Orlando as it navigates through its rebuild.

The Magic now embark on a five-game road trip to the west coast, which begins Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

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Published Jan 5, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.