NBA Game Reviews: January 6, 2021

1. Markelle Fultz was showing solid progress but now Orlando’s playoff chances rely on a rookie

Markelle Fultz and the Orlando Magic have been two of the league’s early season surprises. Coming into Wednesday night, Fultz was averaging more points, assists, and minutes than ever in his career, and was finally starting to look like the No. 1 overall pick the 76ers drafted just four years ago. Fultz was the starting point guard for the 5-2 (now 6-2) Magic, who currently sit at the No. 2 seed in the East, but a non-contact torn ACL shut down his breakout season, and now becomes a difficult obstacle in the Magic’s playoff chase.

Cole Anthony, the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft, is expected to take over a larger role, potentially in the starting lineup to replace Fultz. Anthony has shown flashes early in his career, but has gone through the normal growing pains of adjusting to the league. He won’t have much time to get settled into his new role, as the Magic have a difficult stretch of games — matchups with the Mavericks, Bucks, Celtics (twice), and Nets — eight of the next nine being outside of Orlando. This will likely prove whether the Magic can survive without Markelle or if his injury is too much to overcome for a mediocre team in the East

2. Miami is the same extremely resilient team they were in the bubble

COLORS KEY | FULL HEAT FUTURE OUTLOOK

The Miami Heat were the Cinderella story in the bubble last year. They swept the Pacers, ousted the Bucks in five games, and then took down the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in six hard-fought battles. They were taken down by the Lakers in six games in the Finals, but not due to a lack of fight. Erik Spolestra’s team has sustained that resilience in the new season. However, many NBA experts and league evaluators believed they benefitted from the unique circumstances 2020 presented, and wouldn’t be as successful in 2021.

The Heat might have lost to the Celtics in the Game of the Day on Wednesday, an ECF rematch in Miami, but they showed that same extreme resilience that helped them thrive in the bubble. The Heat were down by as much as 17 in the first half, but fought their way back to take a lead in the third quarter, and enter the fourth in an 80-80 stalemate. The Celtics were able to take a 10-point lead with 1:17 to go in the fourth, which would presumably put away most teams. Not this Miami team. 

The Heat battled back in the final minute, tying the game with 13 seconds left. A Payton Pritchard put-back at the buzzer ultimately put MIA away, but they demonstrated that toughness that carried them into the Finals last year. The Heat sent a message to the rest of the Eastern Conference on Wednesday: Last year was not a fluke. Don’t count this team out.

SEE MORE NBA TAKEAWAYS