Shotmaking Struggles Again Haunt Magic in Fourth Straight Loss

Anthony Davis’ Return Not Enough for Lakers, Lose Fourth Straight to Timberwolves

The Orlando Magic's shooting woes continued on Friday night as they dropped their fourth straight game, a 112-98 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the return of Anthony Davis, the Magic shot just 40.2% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 25 points, while Jayson Tatum added 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Slow Start Dooms Magic

The Magic got off to a slow start, shooting just 33.3% from the field in the first quarter. The Timberwolves took advantage, building a 10-point lead after one quarter. The Magic never recovered, as the Timberwolves led by as many as 20 points in the second half.

Davis' Return Not Enough

Davis finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in his return from a one-game absence due to a sore knee. However, he was just 7-of-18 from the field and did not provide the spark that the Magic needed. The Magic also got a solid performance from Jalen Suggs, who had 18 points and 7 assists. However, it was not enough to overcome the Timberwolves' hot shooting.

Magic Must Find Shooting Touch

The Magic's shooting struggles have been a major problem all season. They rank 29th in the NBA in field goal percentage and 27th in three-point percentage. The Magic need to find a way to improve their shooting if they want to turn their season around.

Up Next

The Magic will host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. The Bulls are coming off a win over the Nets in Brooklyn on Friday night. Nikola Vucevic had a big game for the Bulls, scoring 29 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. The Magic will need to play much better if they want to avoid losing their fifth straight game.