The Orlando Magic’s magic against the New Orleans Pelicans hasn't disappeared just yet.
The Pelicans, who haven’t won a game against the Magic in over three years, never really stood a chance Thursday at Smoothie King Center.
This latest loss was a 113-93 beatdown that was pretty much over at halftime.
It was the Pels' 13th loss by 20 or more points this season.
It was also the Pelicans’ seventh straight loss to the Magic. Their last win came way back on December 23, 2021, during Willie Green’s first season. They have now been swept by Orlando three seasons in a row.
“When you think about Orlando, they are all big and athletic,” Green said before the game. “Their foundation is their defense. They can get stops.”
The Magic came into the game as the NBA’s stingiest defense, allowing just 106.1 points per game.
“We have to do a good job of executing offensively and keep them off the glass and try to finish possessions,” Green said before the game.
They didn't.
On the flip side, Orlando is the worst scoring team in the league, averaging just 104.3 points per game. You wouldn’t have known about Orlando’s offensive limitations the way they hammered the Pelicans in the first half. The Pels trailed 68-38 at intermission.
How bad was the first half?
Orlando’s duo of Paola Banchero and Franz Wagner outscored the Pelicans by themselves through the first two quarters. Banchero scored 24 points and Wagner had 20 at halftime. They made 17 of their 20 shots in the first half, including Wagner making all eight of his shots.
"They kicked our butts," Green said about the Magic duo.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, made just 14 of 39 shots in the first half, including 2 of 14 3-pointers.
It didn’t help that the Pelicans (18-49) were without big men Yves Missi and Kelly Olynyk. Missi suffered a left ankle sprain in Tuesday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers and Olynyk missed the game due to personal reasons. That left the Pelicans with Karlo Matkovic and newcomer Mo Bamba.
Bamba, who signed a 10-day contract with the Pelicans on Monday, got a chance to face the Magic, the team that drafted him with the sixth overall pick in 2018.
The Pelicans lost to the Magic 115-88 in early November on a night the starting lineup consisted of Brandon Ingram, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Brandon Boston, Jose Alvarado and Missi. They didn’t have Williamson, Murphy or CJ McCollum in that game. But even with that trio Thursday, it didn’t matter. The Pels trailed by as many as 36 points. The Pels cut it to 95-80 on a Matkovic layup on an assist from Williamson with 7:46 remaining.
Williamson (20), Murphy (17) and McCollum (9) combined for just 46 points.
The Pelicans travel to play the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.