National Basketball Association
Orlando 97, Minnesota 96
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials: #79 John Conley, #41 Ken Mauer, #32 Marat Kogut
Attendance: N/A

Cole Anthony's 3-pointer at the buzzer capped an Orlando Magic rally in their 97-96 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Magic came in losers of six straight and appeared headed for a seventh consecutive loss as their field-goal percentage languished in the 30s for much of the night. After racing ahead in the first quarter, Orlando gave up three of D'Angelo Russell's 19 points on a shot from long distance in the waning seconds of the period.

Russell's basket led to an overwhelming second quarter for the Timberwolves, who outscored Orlando 30-10 in the period. Minnesota grew its lead to 18 points in the third quarter, harassing Magic shooters on the interior to the tune of 12 blocked shots while holding Orlando to a 3-point percentage below 30 for much of the night.

The Magic finished at just 36 of 92 from the floor for 39.1 percent, and 10 of 31 from behind the 3-point arc for 32.3 percent, but points came at a critical juncture. Orlando outscored Minnesota in the second half, 62-45, while cranking up its own defensive intensity.

Minnesota shot 15 of 35 from 3-point range, led by Russell's 4 of 7, but the Timberwolves went cold down the stretch. Orlando cut the deficit from 10 points to two during a Minnesota scoreless drought of almost four minutes late in the fourth quarter.

Evan Fournier kicked off the run, scoring five of his 24 points, and Anthony finished it with a pair of 3-pointers. Before the game-winning walk-off, he made another with 34.6 seconds remaining to set the stage for the final play.

Nikola Vucevic scored a game-high 28 points for the Magic, Fournier added 24 points, and the rookie Anthony matched Aaron Gordon's 13 points. Orlando's bench combined for just 14 points to Minnesota's 33. The Timberwolves were led by 19 points from Russell.

Naz Reid scored 14 points and Jaden McDaniels came off the bench to register 12 points and eight rebounds. Reid and McDaniels both blocked three shots, setting Minnesota's defensive tone on the interior with all-star center Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined by a positive COVID-19 test.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Orlando   Minnesota
Nikola Vucevic 28 Scoring D'Angelo Russell 19
Aaron Gordon 7 Assists Jordan McLaughlin 7
Aaron Gordon 9 Rebounds Jaden McDaniels 8
Aaron Gordon 6 Free Throws Made Josh Okogie 2
Evan Fournier 2 Steals Malik Beasley 1
Aaron Gordon 4 Blocks Jaden McDaniels 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Orlando 97 39.1 10-31 15-21 26 48 8 5 12
Minnesota 96 42.4 15-35 9-14 25 43 12 5 16
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .111 after a loss.
  • Orlando will play their next game on the road against Indiana. The Magic have a W/L % of .714 after a win and .250 after a loss.