Magic fall to Clippers, drop first home game of season

Tobias Harris had a game-high 25 points but it wasn’t enough as the Orlando Magic fell to the Los Angeles Clippers 114-90 on Wednesday in front of an announced attendance of 16,034 at the Amway Center.

Nik Vucevic nearly had a double-double during the first quarter as he had 12 points a nine rebounds in the first 12 minutes of play. Vucevic finished the game with 19 points and 14 rebounds, but he was never able to match his output from the opening quarter.

The Magic closed out the first quarter with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Maurice Harkless, cutting the Clippers lead to 26-23 going into the second quarter, but that was the closest Orlando would get all game.

“They made a lot of shots and we just didn’t respond,” said Harris following the game. “That was the margin right there.”

The Clippers opened up the second quarter with a 12-4 run that helped them jump out to a 38-27 lead with 7:00 left to play in the first half.

Orlando came back with a 15-8 run of their own, which allowed them to cut Los Angeles’ lead to 46-40 with 3:00 remaining in the half.

The Magic went into the locker room at halftime trailing the Clippers 56-48, despite 15 points and 12 rebounds from Vucevic during the first half and another 14 points from Harris.

The Clippers added to their lead in the third quarter when they outscored Orlando 28-20 to take a 84-68 lead into the fourth quarter.

“They played well, as simple as that, give them credit,” said Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn. “Was not our best night, ya we showed some signs and some glimpses, we had 13 assists at half.”

Clippers forward Blake Griffin had 20 points and four rebounds for the game, while fellow big man DeAndre Jordan was held to two points, but notched 11 rebounds.

Chris Paul finished the game with 16 points and nine assists for the game, but his defense shouldn’t be overlooked as the Orlando’s guards combined for a total of 20 points between the four of them.

Los Angeles opened up the fourth quarter with a 12-3, giving the Clippers a 25-point lead with 9:30 remaining in the game. That would be more than enough for L.A. to secure the victory, as they’d finish off the Magic 114-90.

Magic guard Victor Oladipo had seven points, four rebounds and four assists in his fourth game back since suffering a facial fracture that kept him out in the beginning of the season.

“This process is far from being a finished product for sure,” said Vaughn of Oladipo’s return to the lineup.

With the loss Orlando now falls to 5-8 for the season, marking the Magic’s first home loss of 2014-15.

Orlando will now travel to New Orleans for a matchup against the Pelicans on Friday, Nov. 21. The Magic will than return home the following day to take on the Miami Heat on Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Amway Center.