By R.L. Bynum
One assist away from his first triple-double since high school, Cole Anthony dribbled out the final seconds of the Orlando Magic’s eighth win in the last nine games.
Anthony scored a game-high 23 points and four 3-pointers as the Magic rolled to a 133–113 home victory Friday night over the San Antonio Spurs. Orlando’s 5–20 start to the season feels like a distant memory for the surging team.
“Obviously, he was flirting on the triple-double, but the one thing I love the most is he didn’t chase a stat,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He respected the game and just went after what we needed to win.”
Anthony had a plus/minus of +22 and collected season-high totals of 10 rebounds and nine assists. It was the 12th time in NBA history that a player has contributed at least totals of 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists off the bench.
He put up a season-high 23.9 game score. He had five career game scores higher than that, all last season, topped by a 29.8 on Oct. 24, 2021, in a 29-point, 16-rebound, eight-assist game at New York.
“When it happens, it’s going to happen naturally. I wasn’t going to force it,” said Anthony, who was 8 of 10 from the floor, 4 of 4 from 3-point range and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. “I tried to distribute the ball, and they made the shots. But all the credit goes to the team. They got me a lot of easy shots and they put me in position to get those rebounds.”
His teammate Wendell Carter Jr., a former Duke player, joked in a postgame press conference that Anthony was stealing rebounds away from teammates. Anthony, sitting beside him, quickly denied the charge with a smile.
The four 3-pointers tied his season-high, which he also made Oct. 21 in his season-high 25-point game at Atlanta.
“Fortunately, my teammates were able to give me some good looks early and they hit some shots too,” Anthony said.
Anthony scored 10 fourth-quarter points. He and Mo Bamba combined for 14 points in a 17–1 run that turned a two-point lead into an 18-point edge with 8:31 left. Orlando scored 72 second-half points.
“As a team, we really locked in defensively,” Anthony said of the final quarter. “That allowed us to spark our offense; we were able to run the ball. It was a great team win.”
Anthony said that the coaches have been preaching to the players the importance of playing good defense.
“I think we’ve done a great job just doing that, maintaining it for this stretch of games,” said Anthony, who entered the game with 4:49 left in the first quarter. “We’re going to keep going like this.”
Theo Pinson played a season-high 13 minutes, 49 seconds Friday in the Dallas Mavericks’ 112–106 road victory over Houston.
Pinson, who had seven points in 48 minutes over 12 games before Friday, scored six points on two 3-pointers. Pinson made both attempts outside the arc after missing his previous six attempts this season.
Pinson’s 7.3 game score was a season-high. He had three game scores higher than that last season, led by a 13.9 in a 16-point game on April 10 against San Antonio. His career-high is a 15.9 for Brooklyn against New York on Jan. 25, 2019, in a 19-point, eight-rebound, two-assist, two-steal game.
Pinson outscored teammate Reggie Bullock, who started and played 27 points but only had three points.
In Sacramento’s 125–111 Friday home loss to Washington, Harrison Barnes had 11 points, two 3-pointers, and five rebounds. He put up a 2.2 game score, his second-lowest this season since a 2.1 on Oct. 23 against Golden State.
In Chicago’s 118–117 Friday victory at New York, Coby White had eight points and two 3-pointers in 19 minutes. Tony Bradley didn’t play (coach’s decision) for the third consecutive game.
In Utah’s 120–112 Thursday win, Walker Kessler collected 12 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in the fifth double-double of his rookie season. It was his third consecutive start and fifth of the season.
Justin Jackson got into the Boston Celtics’ 121–109 Friday home win over Minnesota, and didn’t get off a shot in 1 minute, 12 seconds. It was his first action since playing in his third consecutive game on Dec. 12, five games ago.
In the G League on Thursday, Day’Ron Sharpe had 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a block in Long Island’s 123–108 loss in Las Vegas to Texas. In six G League games, he’s averaging 18.3 points and 12.7 rebounds.
Sharpe rejoined the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, and had two points and a rebound in three minutes of their 118–110 home victory over Milwaukee.
On Thursday, Garrison Brooks missed his third consecutive Westchester Knicks game with a left ankle sprain.
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic guard
Age 22 | 6–3, 185 | third NBA season | UNC 2019–20 (1 season)
133–113 Friday win vs. San Antonio — 30 minutes, 23 points, 8–10 FG, 4–4 3FG, 3–3 FT, 10 rebounds (season-high), 9 assists (season-high), 3 turnovers, +22, 23.9 game score (season-high)
Season statistics — 17 games, 13.5 points, 45.2 FG%, 37.3 3P%, 89.8 FT%, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists
Next games — 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. Los Angeles Lakers; 7 p.m. Wednesday at Detroit
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings forward
Age 30 | 6–8, 225 | 11th NBA season | UNC 2010–12 (2 seasons)
125–111 Friday loss vs. Washington — Started; 38 minutes, 11 points, 4–13 FG, 2–7 3FG, 1–2 FG, 5 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, -2, 2.2 game score
Season statistics — 31 games, 13.9 points, 47.8 FG%, 30.8 3FG%, 80.9 FT%, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Next games — 10 p.m. Tuesday vs. Denver; 10 p.m. Wednesday vs. Denver, NBATV
Tony Bradley, Chicago Bulls center
Age 24 | 6–10, 248 | sixth NBA season | UNC 2016–17 (1 season)
118–117 Friday win at New York — Didn’t play (coach’s decision)
Season statistics — 9 games, 25 minutes, 12 points, 4–7 FG, 2–4 3FG, 2–2 FT, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Next games — 8 p.m. Monday vs. Houston; 8 p.m. Wednesday vs. Milwaukee
Reggie Bullock, Dallas Mavericks small forward
Age 31 | 6–6, 205 | 10th NBA season | UNC 2010–13 (3 seasons)
112–106 Friday win at Houston — Started; 27 minutes, 3 points, 1–4 FG, 1–4 3FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, -7, 2.9 game score
Season statistics — 32 games, 5.1 points, 33.8 FG%, 31.3 3P%, 71.4 FT%, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist
Next games — 2:30 Sunday vs. Los Angeles Lakers, ABC, ESPN; 8:30 Tuesday vs. New York, NBATV
Justin Jackson, Boston Celtics forward
Age 27 | 6–8, 220| sixth NBA season | UNC 2014–17 (3 seasons)
121–109 Friday win vs. Minnesota — 1 minute, 1 turnover, -4, -1.0 game score
Season statistics — 13 games, 63 minutes, 6 points, 2–13 FG, 2–11 3FG, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals
Next games — 5 p.m. Sunday vs. Milwaukee, ABC, ESPN; 7:30 Tuesday vs. Houston
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz center
Age 21 | 7–0, 245 | rookie NBA season | UNC 2020–21 (1 season)
120–112 Thursday win vs. Washington — Started; 32 minutes, 12 points, 5–7 FG, 2–2 FT, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, +16, 15.6 game score
Season statistics — 32 games, 6.8 points, 75.2 FG%, 55.6 FT%, 6.3 rebounds, 0.6 of an assist, 1.9 blocks
Next games — 8 p.m. Monday at San Antonio; 10 p.m. Wednesday at Golden State
Theo Pinson, Dallas Mavericks guard
Age 27 | 6–5, 212 | fifth NBA season | UNC 2014–18 (4 seasons)
112–106 Friday win at Houston — 14 minutes, 6 points, 2–3 FG, 2–2 3FG, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul, +3, 7.3 game score (season-high)
Season statistics — 13 games, 62 minutes, 13 points, 3–13 FG, 2–8 3FG, 5–6 FT, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steal
Next games — 2:30 Sunday vs. Los Angeles Lakers, ABC, ESPN; 8:30 Tuesday vs. New York, NBATV
Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets center
Age 21 | 6–9, 265 | second NBA season | UNC 2020–21 (1 season)
123–108 Thursday loss vs. Texas in G League in Las Vegas — Started; 27 minutes, 16 points, 8–12 FG, 0–2 3FG, 0–1 FT, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 foul, 1 turnovers, 1 block, -22
118–100 Friday win vs. Milwaukee — 3 minutes, 2 points, 1–1 FG, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, -3, 1.4 game score
Season statistics — 18 games, 154 minutes, 63 points, 24–46 FG, 3–4 3FG, 12–17 FT, 58 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 10 blocks
Season G League statistics — 6 games, 18.3 points, 64.0 FG%, 20.0 3FG%, 50.0 FT%, 12.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 blocks
Next game(s) — 7:30 Friday vs. Milwaukee, NBATV; 7 p.m. Monday at Cleveland, NBATV and/or 7 p.m. Tuesday for Long Island vs. Greensboro, ESPN+
Coby White, Chicago Bulls guard
Age 22 | 6–4, 195 | fourth NBA season| UNC 2018–19 (1 season)
118–117 Friday win at New York — 19 minutes, 8 points, 3–5 FG, 2–4 3FG, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, -11, 3.5 game score
Season statistics — 24 games, 8.0 points, 40.4 FG%, 33.6 3P%, 2.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Next games — 8 p.m. Monday vs. Houston; 8 p.m. Wednesday vs. Milwaukee
In the G League
Garrison Brooks, Westchester Knicks center
Age 23 | 6–10, 240 | Rookie | UNC 2017–21 (4 seasons)
114–113 Thursday loss vs. Mexico City Capitanes in Las Vegas — Didn’t play (left ankle sprain)
Season statistics — 15 games, 13.4 points, 61.1 FG%, 0–9 3P, 53.6 FT%, 12.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 of a block
Next games — 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lakeland, ESPN+; 7 p.m. Thursday at Lakeland, ESPN+
Out while recovering from surgery
— Phoenix forward Cameron Johnson is expected to return this month or early January after having right knee surgery on Nov. 8. His season statistics: 8 games, 13.0 points, 44.6 FG%, 43.1 3P%, 72.7 FT%, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists
— Memphis forward Danny Green will miss most of the season after surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee suffered in May.
Out until mid-January
— Portland forward Nassir Little suffered a mild femoral impaction fracture to his right hip on Nov. 29. His season statistics: 21 games, 5.5 points, 47.3 FG%, 37.2 3P%, 66.7 FT%, 2.4 rebounds, 0.9 of an assist
Get an explanation of the game score metric here.
Photo via @OrlandoMagic
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