J-Speaks: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly In NBA In January

The temperature outside has been rather warm to start 2016, the defending champions have continued to be on fire and sent a powerful message to the team behind them in the West standings. In the Valley of the Sun, a major glass ceiling was broken despite the team’s difficult season. Nobody has been hotter in the league than the team north of the border, while the defending Eastern Conference champs have gotten back on track thanks to a major change on their bench. California’s other NBA has prospered without a major piece while the dream season for “The Magic Kingdom’s” has turned into a major nightmare. Here is The Good, The Bad and The Ugly in the NBA in January.

The Good

“We The North” Makes History

In the first three seasons under head coach Dwane Casey, the Toronto Raptors (33-16) went from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to back-to-back Atlantic Division champions winning 48 and 49 games respectably setting new franchise records. Unfortunately had major flame outs in the opening round falling in four and six games respectably. This season has been had a different feel for the host city of the 2016 All-Star Weekend.

The Raptors in the first month of 2016 went 12-2 averaging 105.6 points per contest on 46.7 percent from the floor and had a +8.2 in point differential.  

They set a new franchise record with their 10 win in a row with a 103-93 victory versus the New York Knicks (23-28) 103-93 on national television this past Thursday night on TNT.

DeMar DeRozan, who was just named as a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Star team earlier in the day had 26 points on 9 for 18 from the field with four assists and two block shots. Starting lead guard Kyle Lowry, who was named a Starter for the East All-Stars for the second straight year also had 26 points with 10 assists, six boards and three steals.

Lowry’s understudy and fellow Canadian Cory Joseph had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists off the bench. Starting center Jonas Valanciunas, who missing 17 games because of a broken left hand had his 10^th double-double of the season with 11 points and 18 rebounds.

The Raptors out-rebounded the Knicks by 10 (50-40); outscored them 12-4 in fast break points and recorded 11 block shots, with four of them coming from starting small forward James Johnson.

“We’re just going out there playing hard and having fun,” DeRozan, who will be making his second appearance in the All-Star Game in two weeks from this Sunday said to NBA on TNT sideline reporter Kristen Ledlow after the game.

“I tell the guys every time we go out there play hard on both ends and everything else will take care of itself.”

The Raptors added to their franchise record winning streak, which began with a 91-74 win at the Brooklyn Nets (12-37) by winning their 11^th in succession with a 111-107 victory versus the Detroit Pistons this past Saturday night.

DeRozan led the way with 29 points going 10 for 21 from the field and 9 for 10 from the free throw line. Lowry added 18 points going 9 for 12 from the foul line with eight boards and three steals. Joseph and back-up forward/center Bismack Biyombo, who the Raptors signed this off-season to add toughness and defense had strong performance off the bench with 16 and 12 points respectably. Biyombo also added 13 rebounds and three blocks.

The Raptors shot 46.2 percent in the contest, going 35 for 47 from the foul line compared to 20 for 34 for the Pistons. The outscored their visitors 46-36 in the paint and converted 16 turnovers into 20 points.

The difference between last year and the year before is that their defense took a major step back and that very evident in the postseason last year where the Wizards chewed them up and spit them out, especially from long distance.

This season the Raptors have gotten back to taking care of business at the defensive end ranking fifth in points allowed at 96.7 per contest. They rank ninth in opponent’s field goal percentage giving up just 44.1 percent shooting; rank 11^th in block shots per contest at 5.2 and are tied for seventh with the defending champion Golden State Warriors in steals at 8.3 per contest.

The aforementioned additions of Joseph and Biyombo are a major reason why the Raptors have been able to not only compete, but be a very sticky give you no room to operate offensively kind of defense. Back in December 2015 when Valanciunas was on the shelf because of injury, Biyombo filled in very well in the pivot averaging 7.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and blocking 1.7 shots per contest in 15 games.

They have been able to do all of this without their biggest acquisition this off-season in forward DeMarre Carroll, who has been out since earlier in the month because of knee surgery. When he comes back, that will give the Raptors another perimeter defender who can also knock down three-pointers.

Their winning streak came to a conclusion last night when they lost at the Denver Nuggets (19-30) 112-93. They did get back on Tuesday night with a 104-97 win at the Phoenix Suns (14-36)

The backbone of this team is Lowry and DeRozan, who have stayed healthy for much of this season and should put on a show for the faithful of Toronto when they hit the Air Canada Centre hardwood for the 65 NBA All-Star Game on Valentine’s night on TNT.

“It’s a blessing. It’s great for the city. For this organization. It’s big,” DeRozan said to Ledlow. “Were going to go out there, represent the organization best we can and this whole country.”

Defending Champs Make Statement

Coming into 2016, the defending NBA champion Warriors (44-4) played with a serious, hunger, determination and focus of a team that wanted to repeat as champions. They have done exactly that and that was very evident in how the Western Conference leaders closed out January.

Following a 111-103 victory versus the Miami Heat (27-22), which extended their winning streak to seven games, the Warriors lost at the Nuggets 112-110. The Warriors lost this contest by being out-scored the first quarter 32-25 and the third quarter 28-19.

Danilo Gallinari had 28 points to lead the Nuggets, who out-rebounded the champs 49-39, stayed close with them in terms of points in the paint only being out-scored 52-46 and committed just 13 turnovers that led to just 11 points, while they turned 13 Warrior miscues into 18 points. Reigning MVP Stephen Curry, while he had a game-high 38 points going 13 for 25 from the field, including 5 for 12 from three-point range and had nine assists, he had eight of those turnovers.

After bouncing back with a 116-98 win at home versus the Los Angeles Lakers (10-41) on Jan. 5, the Warriors sustained their second worst loss of the season at the Detroit Pistons (26-23) 113-95, to drop their third straight on the road and their second loss in their last three tries overall.

The Pistons dominated the Warriors in the second and fourth quarters being out-scored 38-19 and 28-21 respectably. They were dominated in the paint to the score of 50-36; out-rebounded 57-47; recorded just 18 assists and the Pistons recorded 11 block shots.

The “Splash Brothers” Curry and Klay Thompson had great performances scoring 38 and 24 points respectably, but backup center Festus Ezeli was the only other player in double-figures with 10 points to along with 10 boards and five blocks.

The Pistons had six players score in double-figures led by their starting backcourt of Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who each had 20 points. Marcus Morris had 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks. First-time All-Star named this past Thursday night for the East in center Andre Drummond had 14 points, 21 boards and three blocks of his own. His understudy Aron Baynes had 12 points and two blocks and Ersan Ilyasova had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

On MLK Night in front of a national audience, the Warriors returned to Quicken Loans Arena, where they won Game 6 back in June to capture the organization’s first title in 40 years and they took their frustrations of the game prior on the Eastern Conference Leading Cleveland Cavaliers (35-12) Cavs beating them badly in their gym 132-98.

Curry led all scorers with 35 points, hitting 7 for 12 from distance. Iguodala had 20 points off the bench. Draymond Green had 16 points, 10 assists, seven boards and two blocks. Thompson scored 15 and Harrison Barnes had 12.

The Warriors scored over 30 points in the first three quarters, shot 54.1 percent from the field; went 19-40 from three-point range; had 33 assists and just eight turnovers; out-scored the Cavs in fast break points to the tune of 17-2 and turned 16 Cavs miscues into 21 points.

To add insult to injury, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving combined for just 11 points on 4 for 16 from the field and LeBron James had 16 points, but went just 7 for 16 from the floor.

That began the champ’s current seven-game winning streak where they put another beat down on the Chicago Bulls (26-21) in their gym on ESPN 125-94. They won their 38^th consecutive game at Oracle Arena defeating the struggling Indiana Pacers 122-110 on ESPN, where they welcomed back head coach Steve Kerr, who returned for the first time this season after being on the shelf from complications of two back surgeries in the off-season. The first surgery cause a spinal fluid leak that left the five-time champion with the Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs suffering from headaches.

Three days later came the long awaited show down with the five-time NBA champion Spurs (40-8), who entered the game with 13 straight victories. The Warriors and Curry on this night dominated the first of their four regular season meetings by ending the Spurs winning streak with a convincing 120-90 win behind 33-point scoring efforts in the middle two quarters.

Curry led the way with 37 points gong 12 for 20 from the field, including 6 for 9 from three-point range.

The Warriors held the Spurs, who played without Tim Duncan because of a knee injury to 41.9 percent shooting; out-rebounded them 45-38; recorded 31 assists; had 15 steals; dominated in the paint to the score of 52-36 and in fast break points to the tune of 19-10 and turned 26 Spurs miscues into 32 points.

The Warriors won their 40^th straight game at home on Jan. 27 when the defeated the Dallas Mavericks 127-107, which leaves them four games shy of tying the all-time mark of 44 consecutive wins of the Bulls, who did not sustain a loss at the United Center from Mar. 30, 1995 to Apr. 4, 1996.

Thompson had his second 40-plus point performance of this season and the sixth of his career with a game-high and season-high 45 points on 14 for 20 from the field, including 7 for 12 from long distance and 10 for 10 from the foul line.

This past Saturday, the Warriors tussled with the Philadelphia 76ers (7-41) and squandered a double-digit, but were bailed out by a three-pointer by Harrison Barnes in the final seconds to walk out of the Well Fargo Center with a 108-105 win.

They concluded the back end of this back-to-back with a 116-95 win at the Knicks, to finish the month 14-2.

After scoring a season-low 18 points in the opening stanza, the Warriors put up 37, 27 and 34 points in the next 36 minutes shooting 57.5 percent from the floor; going 16 for 29 from three-point range; garnering 31 assists, marking the seven game in succession with 30 or more dimes and holding the Knicks to 36.7 percent shooting.

Thompson led the way with a game-high 34 points going 14 for 18 from the field, including 5 for 6 from three-point land. Green had his ninth triple-double of the season with 20 points, 10 boards, 10 assists going a perfect 9 for 9 from the field with two steals and two blocks.

Green tied with Hall of Famer, NBA champion and former Knick Tom Gola for the most triple-doubles in a season in Warrior history. Gola, who is one of two players in NBA history to win an NCAA title, when he was at La Salle, an NIT and NBA title, had nine triple-doubles in the 1959-60 NBA campaign when the team was in Philadelphia. Gola is one of the many members in the Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame.

The Warriors began the New Year with a winning streak and they ended January with a winning streak. They got their leader on the sideline back in the fold; their 44-4 record is tied with the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers for the best 48-game start in league history and are as focused as ever to win another title.

Broken Glass Ceiling at Talking Stick Resort Arena

It has been a difficult season for the Phoenix Suns (14-35) to say the least and a major change was made in just the last 24 hours, more on that later. They did come up with a rare win versus the Charlotte Hornets (23-25) 111-102 back on Jan. 6 to end their nine-game losing streak. They received 53 points from their bench and holding their visitors to just 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Suns’ victory was not the only major story however.

On this night, the NBA broke another glass ceiling as Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale, who served as the color analyst for the Suns on FOX Sports Arizona joined color analyst for the Charlotte Hornets of FOX Sports Southeast Stephanie Ready as two NBA local telecast of the same contest featured women analyst.

When the 2015-16 NBA campaign began, Ready became the first ever full-time female color analyst when she joined Hornets legend Dell Curry and longtime play-by-play man Eric Collins, who replaced legendary play-by-play man of the Hornets and formerly the Bobcats Steve Martin. 

For these two basketball lifers, making history is nothing new to them.

Meyers Drysdale was the first player to be a part of the U.S. National Team while still a student in high school. She was the first woman at UCLA to receive a four-year athletic scholarship and the first woman to sign a contract with an NBA team, the Indiana Pacers.

It was the Pacers that gave the Hall of Famer that life changing moment as she became the first ever female color commentator for an NBA team.

After an amazing career on the hardwood for the Coppin State University, Ready, who is in her 12^th season with the Hornets, formally known as the Charlotte Bobcats became just the third woman ever to be a coach on a Division I Men’s Basketball team when she was hired to be an assistant at her alma mater by then head coach Ron “Fang” Mitchell.

Ready would make history again when she became the first woman to be a part of a pro basketball team when the Greenvale Groove of the NBA Developmental League, also known as the D-League hired her. At first, those on the outside saw it as a stunt to generate interest to the new league comprised of former collegiate hardwood stars and players who use to play overseas.

Those feelings were put to rest to some degree when Ready helped the Groove did win a championship during her time from 2001-2003.

Both Ready and Meyers Drysdale, who once crossed paths at the “Worldwide Leader in Sports”  once before know that in a male dominated industry, reaching this point was something that was not easy, but because of their knowledge of the game and knowing the ins and outs of it being where they are right now is no surprise to them.

“I worked with [Stephanie] at ESPN when she was first getting into the business coming off coaching,” Meyers Drysdale said back on Jan. 8. “I’m just so proud of her. Like a lot of other women in this business, we’ve been doing it for a while and certainly appreciate having the opportunity with people who are willing to take chances. She’s earned the right and has the credentials to do it.”

Both women from their playing days to their involvement in other parts of basketball share an unbelievable love for hoops and are true examples for other women to follow. Both also know that they are not in the position they are in if it were not for the courage of the other.

“It was the first thing I remember growing up and feeling like I can’t live without,” Ready said back on Jan. 8 about her love for basketball.” “What Annie has done so well for so long gave me confidence. It was a special night because I got to work with someone who literally paved the way for not just me, but for all of us.”

It is because of the greatness of Meyers Drysdale, who does amazing work in the summertime as the color commentator for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA and the likes of Hanna Storm and Robin Roberts, two former color analyst in the early years of the WNBA for EPSN and NBC that we have the likes of Ready and in studio pregame and postgame host and sideline reporters of the other NBA teams like Lesley McClasin (FOX Sports Oklahoma-Thunder, Erin Hartigan (FOX Sports New Orleans-Pelicans, Marney Gelner (FOX Sports North-Timberwolves), Rebecca Haarlow (Madison Square Garden Network-Knicks, Sara Kustok (Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network-Nets), Ros Gold-Onwude (Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area-Warriors), Jennifer Hale (FOX Sports New Orleans-Pelicans), Dana Larson (FOX Sports Southwest-Mavericks) and Abby Chin (Comcast Sportsnet New England-Celtics)

Cavs Rise under Lue

When you go 13-3 in a month like the Cleveland Cavaliers, did in January, things should be fine and dandy. However when three of those losses come against teams contending for a title like you are and you do not have good showing, it makes life uneasy. After the Cavs unthinkable 132-98 loss versus the Warriors, it was clear that something needed to change.

Despite winning their next two games at the  Nets 91-78 on Jan. 20 and 24 hours later winning versus the Los Angeles Clippers (32-16) 115-102, the Cavs fired head coach David Blatt and replaced him with assistant coach Tyronn Lue.

The catch here is that they did not put the interim tag on Lue. Although not official yet, it was reported last week that the organization was working on a three-year contract with Lue.

Their first contest with Lue as the lead man on the sidelines did not go well versus the Bulls on Jan. 23 who beat them on their home floor 96-83.

While the Cavs outscored the Bulls 50-28 in the paint, they shot just 37.2 percent from the field; went just 4 for 24 from three-point range; were out-rebounded 53-48; had just 17 assists and went an abysmal 9 for 22 from the free throw line.

The Cavs have not lost since that setback as they have won four consecutive games from Jan. 25 to Jan. 30 averaging 115 points per contest in those four wins.

The back end of those four wins a week ago came against the Spurs, a 117-103 decision this past Saturday night, where the Cavs evened their record at 3-3 against the Warriors, Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Clippers.

The Cavaliers shot 54.9 percent from the field; out-rebounded the Spurs 43-32; had 24 assists; 14 fast break points and outscored the Spurs in the paint 52-46.

This was the second straight contest where the “Big Three” of LeBron James (29 points, seven assists, two steals and two blocks) Kyrie Irving (21 points, six assists and two steals) and Kevin Love (21 points, 11 boards) all scored 20 points or more, bringing their record to 9-1 when that occurs over the past two seasons.

Love, all be it a small sampling under the direction of Lue is more involved in the offense and the team is looking for him on the court to score at the offensive end. This is the Kevin Love that the Cavs have been waiting for and if he can play like this the rest of the way, the Cavs will make have a much better chance of beating the representative from the West in The Finals.

Fair or unfair, the Cavs felt a change was necessary for them to reach the ultimate prize. It is now on the coaching staff and the players to deliver. It is championship or failure for the Cavs going forward.

The Bad

Clippers’ Forward To Miss More Time

After three straight losses at the Spurs and Rockets and versus the Thunder from Dec. 18 to Dec. 21, 2015, the Clippers concluded 2015 with five consecutive wins all on the road to boot. They extended that winning streak overall to 10 games with a 104-90 win versus the Heat. That winning streak concluded with a 110-103 loss versus the Sacramento Kings (21-27) Jan 16.

The Clippers have been able to go on this hot streak without their leading scorer in forward Blake Griffin (23.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 5.0 apg), who was supposedly going to be on the shelf for about 14 days to heal a partially torn left quadriceps tendon.

Griffin will not be back on the court anytime soon because back on Jan. 23 in Toronto, he got into an altercation with the team’s assistant equipment manager Matias Testi when a moment of teasing led to the Clippers’ forward punching Testi twice, sources told ESPN’s Michael Eaves. Griffin broke his right hand and is expected to be out four to six weeks and some reports say he may be out two months.

In a statement by team owner Steve Ballmer and President/Head Coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers before their Jan. 24 contest, a 112-94 loss at the Raptors, “This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who we are as a team. We are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the NBA.”

Blake Griffin also issued a statement saying, “A situation among friends escalated and I regret someone I care about. I want to apologize to the Clippers organization, my teammates and the fans for creating a distraction. I am working with the team on a resolution and getting back in the game as soon as possible.”

The Clippers have rallied from this unfortunate situation with four consecutive wins to close the month on January and right now sit solidly in the fourth spot in the West. They do have winnable games coming up to start the month of February. Things would be a lot easier though with Griffin back on the court. Until then, the team will have to rely on their small ball lineup, which has been working well for them the past few games until Griffin is back on the court.

Ups and Downs of Sacramento Kings

It has been a long time since the Sacramento Kings can say the words playoffs. A five-winning streak though from Jan. 14 to Jan. 23 made that impossible dream into a reality.

A big reason for that has been the play of All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who averaged 31.5 points, 12.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per contest in January.

Cousins, who named an All-Star for the second straight year last week as a reserve had a career-high of 48 points to go along with 13 rebounds in leading the Kings to a 108-97 win versus the Pacers on Jan. 23. He was 17 for 29 from the field and 13-20 from the foul line.

He established a new career-high as well as set a new Sacramento franchise record and an NBA high for the season with 56 points, going 21 for 30 from the field and 13 for 16 from the free throw line with 12 rebounds, four assists and two block shots, but the Kings lost in double overtime versus the Charlotte Hornets (23-25) 129-128 two days later, ending their five-game winning streak.

That began a four-game skid with losses at the Portland Trail Blazers (24-26) 112-97 one night later; a 114-105 loss at the New Orleans Pelicans (18-29) two nights later and a 121-117 setback at the Memphis Grizzlies (29-20) on Jan. 30. They also lost Cousins, who had 17 points and 14 rebounds who suffered a left ankle injury late in the fourth quarter. X-rays taken at FedEx Forum after the game were negative.

Another reason that the Kings are in the hunt for a playoff spot is the play of Rajon Rondo (12.0 ppg, 11.7 apg-Leads NBA, 6.4 rpg, 1.7 spg-Leads team), who has returned to the form as one of the top lead guards in the business after a rough season last year with the Dallas Mavericks.

His eight assists that he had in that lost at the Grizzlies concluded a streak of 14 straight contest with double-digit assists.

In the team’s 116-104 win at the Thunder on Jan. 4, Rondo had 13 points, 19 assists and nine rebounds. Cousins had 33 points and 19 boards. In the aforementioned win versus the Pacers, Rondo had 11 points, 10 boards and 10 assists, his second straight game with a triple-double and his sixth of the season, the most in the Sacramento era.

Without Cousins in the Kings first game of February, they managed to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 111-104 behind the 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists of forward Rudy Gay, who was back for a second straight game from an eye injury he sustained in the second overtime of the loss versus the Hornets.

The Kings, who moved to 2-7 without their All-Star center won the game on the heels of a 37-30 fourth quarter output in a contest where they out-rebounded the Bucks 53-37, including 18-10 on the offensive glass. That overcame being outscored 30-12 in fast break points and 54-44 in the paint and 16 turnovers that resulted in 21 Bucks points.

Rondo had 19 points and seven assists. Sharp shooter Marco Bellinelli, who the Kings signed to a three-year contract this past off-season had 18 points and six assists. Rondo’s understudy Darren Collison had 14 points off the bench and Omri Casspi had 13 points off the pine as well.

For the Kings and head coach George Karl moving forward though, they must play better at the defensive end if they expect to make the playoff for the first time since 2006, They will in a tussle for that last spot with the Trail Blazers, who currently lead the Kings by one game on the loss side and are 1 ½ games behind the Utah Jazz (22-25).

No Magic in Orlando

Coming into 2016, the Orlando Magic (21-26) under new head coach Scott Skiles seemed to be finally putting things together and the possibility of making the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

The New Year though has not been kind the young squadron, who lost eight straight contest from Jan. 9 to Jan. 29. Five of those eight losses were by six points or less.

The three most devastating losses were the setback on Jan 14 versus the Toronto Raptors 106-103 in overtime; Jan. 20 versus the 76ers 96-87 and versus the Hornets 120-116 in overtime.

The Raptors got off to a great start against the Magic in their contest at the 02 Arena in London for the NBA Global Games with a 31-18 lead after the first quarter.

While the Magic did catch up by outscoring the Raptors 35-32 in the third and fourth quarters respectably, the Magic were outscored 10-7 in the extra sessions and claimed victory despite a game-high of 27 points from Victor Oladipo. Evan Fournier had 21 points. Nikola Vucevic had 17 points, 11 boards and three blocks. Tobias Harris had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Smith chipped in 16 off the bench.

The Magic outshot the Raptors 45.4 to 41.1 and the Raptors were just 8 for 24 from three-point territory. Two big difference that tipped the game in the Raptors favor was the offensive boards 11-6 and the free throw disparity where the Raptors went 24 for 31 and the Magic just 6 for 8, as well as the fast break points 11 to 2 in favor of the Raptors.,  

Despite double-double performances by lead guard Elfrid Payton, who had 21 points and 10 assists; Vucevic, who had 15 points and 11 rebounds and forward Tobias Harris who had 15 and 11, the Magic allowed one of the worst teams in “The Association” in the Sixers to shoot 48.6 percent from the field; get 18 fast break points and go 9 for 19 from three-point range in their setback at the Amway Center.

Two days later, the Magic had a 15 point lead after three quarters and then Hornets’ lead guard Kemba Walker got lose for 13 of his game-high 40 points in the final quarter that rallied his team and their 11-7 output in the extra five minutes sent the Orlando Magic to their fifth loss in succession and put a halt to the Hornets 10-game road losing streak.  

Oladipo who had 29 points to lead the Magic and Harris, who had scored 24 of the Magic’s 33 points in the third period that pushed the lead to 19 points. Oladipo connected on four of his five three-pointers on the night in the third quarter.

The Magic fell completely apart in the fourth period being outscored 30-15 and Spencer Hawes, who had 16 points and 10 boards on the evening sealed the deal with a three-pointer with 17 seconds left in the overtime.

Vucevic had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks and Fournier put in 15 points off the bench. Payton had another double-double of 11 points and 10 assists and second-year forward Aaron Gordon had 10 points and seven boards for the Magic.

It was another solid performance by the Magic, who shot 49.5 percent for the game; made 11 for 23 from behind the arc; recorded nine block shots and had 31 assists went by the wayside because they were outscored 16-10 in fast break points; 56-42 in the paint and had 19 turnovers that the Hornets converted into 23 points.

The team managed to get off the matt on the back end of a home-and-home versus the Boston Celtics beating them 119-114 this past Sunday night at home, avenging a 113-94 defeat at TD Garden in Boston, MA just 48 hours prior and ending their visitor’s five-game winning streak.

An 18-2 scoring run by the Magic, who outscored the C’s 72-60 in the second half to take control in the fourth even though they missed four free throws in the final seconds that gave the Celtics a chance.

Fournier led the way with 24 points hitting 4 for 5 from long range and 8 for 11 from the charity stripe off the bench, with 15 coming in the fourth period. Gordon had one of his best games as a pro with 19 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Rookie Mario Hezonja put in a career-high 17 points off the bench. Vucevic had another double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds to go along with seven assists and three blocks. Harris also had 16 points, six boards and three steals. Oladipo had 11 points.

Despite another lackluster transition defensive performance surrendering 24 points; the Magic held the Celtics to 41.9 percent shooting and shot 53.7 percent themselves. They out-rebounded the Celtics 50-41; had 27 assists and outscored them in the paint to the tune of 46-32 and outdueled their bench 62-35.

After going an Eastern Conference best 10-5 in Dec. 2015, the Magic went just 2-12 in January and have lost four times in five opportunities since Gordon moved into the starting lineup ahead of veteran forward Channing Frye.  

They went from a being solidly in the East playoff picture to now being 3.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot and there could be tougher days ahead for the Magic as they face steep competition in the form of the Thunder, Clippers, the Hawks in a home-and-home set, the Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and the defending champion Warriors in the coming days. If they want to get back into the playoff race, they will have to beat some of the best in the league.

The Ugly

A Serious Mess in Phoenix

Other than the great glass ceiling moment earlier last month, things have gone from bad to worse for the Phoenix Suns (14-36) as the 2015-16 NBA campaign has progressed.

A 2-13 record in the first month of 2016, which includes 14 straight setbacks on the road, their longest losing streak away from home since Feb. 1984. They went 0-9 on the road in January, including going 0-4 on their four-game road trip to close out last month. They lost by an average of 15.8 points in those four games.

In their 91-78 loss on the back end of this skid at the Mavericks this past Sunday, they had a chance, especially since the Mavs were without future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, but the Suns managed just nine fourth quarter points and were outscored 23-5 in the final nine minutes.

That was the final game for head coach and former Suns’ guard Jeff Hornacek, who was fired at the start of this week. He went 101-112 in 2 ½ seasons with the Suns, which included a 48-34 record in his first season two years ago. Assistant coach Earl Watson is in his stead as the interim head coach for the rest of the season.

You are probably wondering how can this situation had gone downhill so quickly.

You have to look back to a season ago when the Suns acquired Isaiah Thomas from the Kings in the off-season. That decision resulted in a crowded field at the lead guard spot.

The person who ended up being the odd man out was Goran Dragic, who was eventually dealt to the Miami Heat for two first round picks.

At the trade deadline last February, the Suns in a three-team deal acquired Brandon Knight from the Milwaukee Bucks, which again created a log jam at the point guard spot. The Suns at that same time dealt Thomas to the Celtics for the rights to the Cavs first round pick.

The cherry on the Sunday to all this misery in the “Valley of the Sun” came this past off-season when the Suns traded Markieff Morris’s twin brother Marcus to the Detroit Pistons. The Suns also this past off-season signed veteran center Tyson Chandler to a big time contract in the hopes of enticing then free agent forward LaMarcus Aldridge to sign, which did not happen as he is with the Spurs.

In the game of professional sports, the worst thing that management can do is make moves that on paper can make a team better, but in reality are just Fool’s Gold. That is where the Suns find themselves as they will miss the playoffs again for a fourth straight season.

What they have in their favor is the fact that Knight and lead guard Eric Bledsoe (20.4 ppg-Leads team, 6.1 apg-Leads team, 2.0 spg-Leads team), who is lost for the rest of the season because of a torn meniscus in his left knee he sustained on Dec. 26, 2015 versus the Sixers and Knight are signed through 2019 and 2020 respectably.

The Suns have the aforementioned draft pick of the Cavs, two future picks from the Heat and their own, which according to ESPN has a 34 percent chance of being a Top 3 choice.  

The Suns have solid building blocks in rookie sharp shooter Devin Booker (10.3 ppg, 46.5 FG%, 41.8 3-Pt.%), who averaged 17.3 points per contest in January, hitting 35.2 percent of this three-pointers; center Alex Len and forward T.J. Warren (11.0 ppg), who will also be on the shelf for the rest of the season because of a broken foot, according to a Yahoo Sports report from Adrian Wojnarowski.

The big elephant in the room is what will the Suns do with Morris, who has been out of sorts to say the least since his brother was traded?

What the future holds for the Suns, who have not made the playoffs since they made it to the Western Conference Finals in falling to the eventual World Champion Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 rest in the hands of owner Robert Sarver and team manager Ryan McDonough, who so far have swung and missed on acquiring players to turn the team into a playoff contender.

Information, statistics and quotations are courtesy of: www.espn.go.com/nba/standings; www.espn.go.com/nba/teams; www.espn.go.com/nba/statistics; Jan. 8, 2016 article by Ben York, “Ann Meyers Drysdale Makes History…Again” on www.nba.com; www.google.com; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Suns; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Magic; 1/23/16 9 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by State Farm with Rick Kamla, Steve Smith and Dennis Scott 1/24/16 10 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by State Farm with Matt Winer, Rick Fox and David Aldridge; 1/26/16 6 p.m. edition of “Time to Schein” on CBS Sports Network hosted by Adam Schein; 1/28/16 2:30 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime” with Vince Cellini, Kenny Smith and Grege Anthony; 1/29/16 8 a.m. edition of TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA” on NBATV with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal; 1/30/16 6 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by KIA with Rick Kamla, Steve Smith and Dennis Scott; 1/31/16 12:30 a.m. edition of “NBA Tonight” on ESPN 2 with Jorege Sedeno and Ryen Russillo; 1/31/16 2 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by State Farm with Rick Kamla, Sekou Smith and Rick Fox; 2/1/16 1:30 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by KIA with Vince Cellini, Rick Fox and Brent Barry and 2/2/16 1:30 a.m. edition of “NBA Tonight” on ESPN 2 with Cassidy Hubbarth and Tim Legler.