'He Did a Fantastic Job!' Magic's Jalen Suggs Earns Praise on Both Ends

The Orlando Magic is coming off a win after a strong finish from Jalen Suggs.

The Orlando Magic has won two straight games and will be looking to make it three in a row on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons. If Jalen Suggs plays as well as he did against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, it should be a cakewalk. 

Suggs scored 15 points on five-of-eight shooting, and despite fouling out in the final seconds, his defense was stellar all night. 

Feb 29, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) dribbles the ball against Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) in the first quarter at Kia Center / © Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to his excellent defense, Suggs iced the game with back-to-back threes in the final two minutes to put Orlando up by seven points. Excelling on both ends, Suggs earned high praise.

“What was more important than those big threes was his defense. I think he did a fantastic job guarding [Keyonte George] for the most part, getting into the basketball, being willing to switch, he kept his poise and demeanor throughout the night," said coach Jamahl Mosley.

Suggs was a menace on defense, holding the Jazz to 37.5 percent shooting when he was the closest defender. As for Keyonte George, he added 19 points, but Suggs held him to 12 points on a woeful 25 percent shooting percentage. He also helped force a turnover.

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While George was able to rack up six of his nine assists while being guarded by Suggs, that is more of a testament to Utah's ability (and Orlando's willingness) to get open. Suggs has been a consistently excellent point-of-attack defender all season, and while his defense leaves plenty to be desired, his defense is helping the Orlando Magic play winning basketball before the playoffs.