Ayo Dosunmu stood out for the Bulls, leading the team with 21 points, while Nikola Vucevic added a solid 19 points along with 11 rebounds. The Magic started strong, building a significant lead early in the game, leading by 13 at the end of the first quarter and stretching their advantage to as much as 27 points. This win marked Orlando’s fourth consecutive victory and their tenth in 11 games, despite some lapses in defensive performance. The team managed to create 18 turnovers and gather eight blocks and 10 steals.
Franz Wagner also had a notable game, contributing 21 points and six assists to support the Magic’s effort.
In notable news for the Bulls, Lonzo Ball returned to the lineup after being sidelined for 15 games due to a sprained wrist, scoring six points in 15 minutes of playing time.
For Orlando, this victory improved their home record to 9-0 at the Kia Center, with seven of those contests won by a significant margin. This marks their best start to a home game since the 1998-99 season.
A key moment in the matchup occurred when Chicago narrowed the gap to 10 points in the second quarter. Caldwell-Pope then assisted Moritz Wagner, who made a layup while drawing a foul. Caldwell-Pope followed up with back-to-back 3-pointers, alongside a steal, which propelled the Magic to a 19-point lead at halftime.
An interesting statistic from the game was that the Magic entered this contest ranked last in the league for 3-point shooting at just 30.6%. However, they quickly changed that narrative, hitting six of their first 11 3-point attempts in the opening quarter and finishing the game with an improved 15 out of 39, amounting to 38.5%.
Looking ahead, the Chicago Bulls will return to their home court on Friday for NBA Cup group play against the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic will seek to maintain their perfect NBA Cup record as they face off against the Brooklyn Nets on the same day.