From the team’s No. 1 scorer this season being saddled with foul trouble, to the head coach being ejected due to two technical fouls, Sunday’s second half featured a series of misfortune for New Orleans. After playing competitively for one half against Orlando and building an early seven-point lead, New Orleans was thoroughly outplayed after intermission, resulting a 12th straight Pelicans loss. The Magic got red-hot from the three-point stripe in the second half, taking command behind outstanding offensive balance. All nine Orlando rotation players tallied at least nine points, including eight in double-digit scoring.
Brandon Ingram had been on a roll lately, but he picked up three fouls in the first half Sunday and had five before the third quarter had ended. Not long after Ingram was whistled for his fifth personal, fifth-year head coach Alvin Gentry was ejected for earning two technical fouls, right after guard Josh Hart had been tagged for a tech of his own.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Michael Carter-Williams banked in a mid-range jumper, giving Orlando a 120-95 lead with six-plus minutes remaining. The Magic were only up by a point at halftime, but poured in 41 points in the third quarter, the fifth time this season that New Orleans has allowed 40-plus points in a period. Orlando finished with 72 second-half points.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
JJ Redick played a third straight quality game against one of his former NBA teams, following up averaging 25.0 points on a road trip to Milwaukee and Philadelphia by depositing 23 against Orlando, where he spent the first 6.5 seasons of his pro career. Redick went 5/9 from three-point range vs. the Magic.
#WEEKLYREVIEW
For the seventh time in eight weeks of this regular season, Brandon Ingram earned the most votes from fans in a Player of the Week poll, this time garnering over 70 percent of ballots. In four games this week, the forward averaged 27.3 points per game.