Orlando Magic forward/center Mo Bamba led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 106-99 defeat to Charlotte, shooting 7-for-15 from the field and 4-for-7 from outside. Wendell Carter Jr. also picked up a double-double alongside Bamba with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Bamba is having a breakout season and now boasts eight double-doubles for the campaign. He's been very quiet in recent games, but this one should help him to gain momentum again. The Magic finishes off play this week against Chicago and Cleveland, so Bamba's Wednesday's improvement will be tested straight away in a pair of difficult matchups.

Orlando Magic forward/center Mo Bamba picked up his second double-double in three games on Wednesday, producing 12 points and 12 rebounds in a nice 104-98 road win over the Knicks. His three-point shooting would've hurt your eyes as Bamba went 0-for-4 from deep, but he managed a decent 6-for-13 effort overall from the field. The 23-year-old also recorded his third straight game with multiple blocks and handed out two dimes with one turnover in 32 minutes. Bamba now boasts six double-doubles for the campaign in total and will hunt for another one on Friday in a decent matchup against the Nets, who aren't a very good rebounding team. They gave up nine boards and 14 points to Bamba in the first meeting of the season, with the youngster adding a little of everything to his line.

Orlando Magic forward/center Mo Bamba ended a three-game run without a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds in Saturday's 104-92 loss to Washington. He added three assists with one steal and three blocks across 26 minutes of action. Bamba was very trigger-happy and recorded 17 shot attempts but made only six of them. He finished 2-for-9 with the three-ball. The 23-year-old now boasts five double-doubles for the season. He's taken a step back offensively this month as Bamba's shooting simply hasn't been good enough, but we can expect him to bounce back and find his rhythm again. Monday's meeting with Atlanta and the league's 28th ranked defense might be just what the doctor ordered for Bamba.

Orlando Magic forward/center Mo Bamba notched another double-double in Friday's loss to Toronto, scoring 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting and grabbing a career-high tying 18 rebounds. He also had five assists with three blocks and three turnovers in 39 minutes, shooting 2-for-5 from downtown. Bamba boasts four double-doubles in six outings this season and has finally started to fulfill his potential as a top-10 draft pick. He should enjoy another big night on the glass Saturday against the Pistons, who own the fourth-worst rebounding rate in the league.

Orlando Magic forward/center Mo Bamba posted a double-double in Friday's heavy loss to the Knicks, going for 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and grabbing 10 rebounds. Wendell Carter Jr. also had a double-double night alongside him in the starting five, recording 10 points and 11 rebounds. Bamba went 3-for-5 with the three-ball and picked up two blocks and one steal on the defensive end. The former sixth-overall pick has bags full of potential and it looks like we'll finally see him realize it in 2021-22, with the 23-year-old having kicked off the season as a starter. Bamba gets a nice four-game slate next week but has to battle with the Knicks first again as the two meet up at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba was all over the stat sheet in Wednesday's season-opening defeat to San Antonio, finishing with a team-high 18 points in just 27 minutes. Bamba's five fouls kept his minutes somewhat under wraps, but when on the floor, he knocked down three triples in addition to swatting four shots, grabbing four boards and adding four assists. Frontcourt competition looks set to be fierce for Orlando in the short-term, but Bamba stands out as the premier upside option of a group that includes Wendell Carter Jr., Robin Lopez, and Moritz Wagner. Having been utilized almost exclusively as a reserve piece over his first three seasons in the NBA, Bamba appears poised to remain a cog in the starting five for the foreseeable future.

For the Orlando Magic, next season doesn’t start in October. It started in March. The next season — the next chapter, really — for the Magic began when the trade-deadline frenzy of March 25 happened, the day when Orlando traded away Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier in a series of moves that clearly ushered in a total reboot of the team and its core. Injuries held the team back, and when the offers arrived to bring in young players, draft picks or both, the Magic couldn’t say no. So, they said farewell to Vucevic — one of the best players in Orlando history — and started anew. “Listen, it’s the toughest season I’ve ever been through,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “I go back and think about the excitement around our team, that we could be the surprise team because of continuity. We had played well at the end of the year before, we had a lot of guys coming back, other teams did not, and as it played out the East isn’t as good as it was. ... But we were never able to sustain... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Devin Cannady of the Orlando Magic underwent surgery on Monday to clean out his dislocated right ankle, though tests showed he did not fracture it as originally feared. A series of exams including X-rays, a CT scan and MRI showed that Cannady’s bones and cartilage remained intact, the Magic said. Cannady dislocated the ankle during Sunday night’s game against Indiana, a gruesome injury after which he needed to be removed from the court on a stretcher. Magic teammate Mo Bamba removed his own jersey and draped it over Cannady's ankle as his teammate lay on the court writhing in pain, an effort to shield the scene from the view of others — Cannady included. “I just did what he would probably do for me," Bamba said. “I didn't want him to see it." Cannady will not play again this season. The Magic said a plaster splint was applied to the ankle on Monday and that the former Princeton guard is expected to make a full recovery. Cannady appeared in eight games for Orlando this season, averaging 4.3 points. He was the MVP of this season’s G League playoffs, after helping the Orlando-affiliated Lakeland Magic to that league’s championship. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — James Ennis of the Orlando Magic and Marvin Williams of the Milwaukee Bucks were ejected for scuffling on Saturday during Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. The forwards were battling for rebounding position midway through the second quarter with Milwaukee leading 53-34. When they headed back up the floor, Ennis shoved Williams, and Williams shoved back. As the two players were separated, Williams grabbed Ennis’ jersey. Ennis appeared to throw his fist in an attempt to free his jersey.Ennis was in Orlando’s starting lineup, while Williams was filling a reserve role for Milwaukee. The loss of Ennis further depleted an Orlando team that already was playing without Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon, Michael Carter-Williams and Mo Bamba because of various injuries and illnesses.The Eastern Conference series is tied at one game apiece.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Mo Bamba will not play for the Orlando Magic in this season’s playoffs, after the team announced Friday that he has left the bubble for testing related to his previous bout with coronavirus.Bamba was diagnosed with COVID-19 on June 11. The 22-year-old appeared in 62 games with the Magic this season but logged only 11 minutes of action in Orlando’s first two seeding games at Walt Disney World.He did not appear in any of Orlando’s final six seeding games.“On the advice of the Magic’s human performance staff and team physicians, Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba has left the NBA campus for a comprehensive post-Coronavirus evaluation,” the team said in a release Friday announcing the move.The 7-foot Bamba averaged 5.4 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Magic this season. He was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 draft.Orlando plays Milwaukee in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Gordon recorded his first career-triple double and was proudest of his assist total.Terrence Ross scored 19 of his season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter and Gordon finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, leading the Orlando Magic to a 136-125 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.Gordon is averaging more than 21 points and 10 rebounds over the Magic's recent six-game surge. This time, he felt best about his career high in assists.“That's what I'm looking to do,” he said. “I'm looking to distribute the ball and make the game easier for everybody on the floor and they do the same for me. It works well.”“He puts us in a different place,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “He's not just scoring, he's playing an all-around game.”Nikola Vucevic added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who won for the fifth time in six games.D'Angelo Russell led Minnesota with 28 points, but did not score After a layup that gave the Timberwolves... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Terrence Ross scored 19 of his season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter and Aaron Gordon finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists for his first career triple-double, leading the Orlando Magic to a 136-125 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.Nikola Vucevic added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who won for the fifth time in six games.D'Angelo Russell led Minnesota with 28 points, but did not score in the fourth quarter. Juancho Hernangomez added 18 points and 13 rebounds.The Timberwolves have lost 19 of their last 21 games, and 11 of their last 12 in Orlando.The 136 points marked a season-high for the Magic, the second-lowest scoring team in the NBA. They shot 54% and had a 54-33 rebounding advantage.After falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first half, Minnesota rallied behind Russell and Malik Beasley, taking a six-point lead on a 3-pointer by Russell from the corner with 5:23 left in the third quarter.Orlando... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Terrence Ross made some shots and his Orlando teammates blocked a bunch of them.Ross scored a season-high 26 points Monday night and the Magic rejected 13 shots to break a three-game losing streak with a 103-95 victory over the Chicago Bulls.Mo Bamba came off the bench to block four shots, and Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon blocked three apiece.“That's who we have to be,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “We're long, we have size, we have versatility. “The other guys did great things, but without (Ross), we would have been playing from eight, 10 behind there in the third quarter. He kept us in the game and made shot after shot.” Zach LaVine led Chicago with 26 points on 8-of-26 shooting, but the Bulls managed only 14 points in the fourth quarter. Tomas Satoransky added 20 points and was 4 of 5 on 3-point shots.“It's very difficult to win a road game when you have 17 turnovers and they have 13 blocks,” Bulls coach Jim Boylen said.Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and seven... [More]

Preseason numbers often mean almost nothing. Rotations are unusual, starters rarely play much, and few if any teams are putting a premium on winning games.As such, it's tough to glean much from exhibition stats.But what the Boston Celtics and New Orleans rookie Zion Williamson — the No. 1 pick in this year's draft — have been doing so far in the preseason certainly stands out.The Celtics are 3-0 after beating Cleveland on Sunday — and have put together a huge run in all three of those games. The latest was a 50-17 spurt against the Cavaliers, a game that was close for most of the first quarter before Boston built what eventually became a 54-point lead.Boston's other big runs of note in this preseason were a 41-17 stretch last Sunday against Charlotte, and opening the game with a 29-4 burst at Orlando on Friday. On top of the 50-17 run against the Cavs, they added a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter as well.No matter who the Celtics have on the court, defense has been the constant. Boston is... [More]

Preseason numbers often mean almost nothing. Rotations are unusual, starters rarely play much, and few if any teams are putting a premium on winning games.As such, it's tough to glean much from exhibition stats.But what the Boston Celtics and New Orleans rookie Zion Williamson — the No. 1 pick in this year's draft — have been doing so far in the preseason certainly stands out.The Celtics are 3-0 after beating Cleveland on Sunday — and have put together a huge run in all three of those games. The latest was a 50-17 spurt against the Cavaliers, a game that was close for most of the first quarter before Boston built what eventually became a 54-point lead.Boston's other big runs of note in this preseason were a 41-17 stretch last Sunday against Charlotte, and opening the game with a 29-4 burst at Orlando on Friday. On top of the 50-17 run against the Cavs, they added a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter as well.No matter who the Celtics have on the court, defense has been the constant. Boston is... [More]

Robin Lopez and Frank Mason III both scored 14 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Chicago Bulls 122-112 in preseason action on Monday night.Milwaukee didn't play most of its major contributors, including last year's league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game that most of them had a good scrimmage on Sunday so he didn't want to play them in what was essentially a back-to-back stretch.All five of the Bucks' starters scored in double figures. Brook Lopez scored 13 points, Sterling Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds and Wesley Matthews scored 10.Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 16 points. Lauri Markkanen added 14 points, making 4 of 8 of his 3-point attempts.PELICANS 133, HAWKS 109Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 21 points and Zion Williamson scored 16, including several highlight-reel dunks.Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft, threw down his first preseason dunk, a tomahawk... [More]

Robin Lopez and Frank Mason III both scored 14 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Chicago Bulls 122-112 in preseason action on Monday night.Milwaukee didn't play most of its major contributors, including last year's league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game that most of them had a good scrimmage on Sunday so he didn't want to play them in what was essentially a back-to-back stretch.All five of the Bucks' starters scored in double figures. Brook Lopez scored 13 points, Sterling Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds and Wesley Matthews scored 10.Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 16 points. Lauri Markkanen added 14 points, making 4 of 8 of his 3-point attempts.PELICANS 133, HAWKS 109Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 21 points and Zion Williamson scored 16, including several highlight-reel dunks.Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft, threw down his first preseason dunk, a tomahawk... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Orlando Magic will open training camp Tuesday with an expectation they haven't had in many years — to win.After making the NBA playoffs for the first time in seven years, the Magic brought back every rotation player including Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ros after both signed four-year contracts this summer to stay in Orlando after becoming free agents."If you look at all the teams in the past that brought back the same teams, like the Spurs, they always win," said guard D.J. Augustin. "They keep the same culture and the same chemistry. It's going to be great for our team. If we start how we finished last year, we can do amazing things this year."Under first-year coach Steve Clifford, the Magic won 22 of their last 31 regular-season games to finish 42-40, then lost in five games to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors."Just to get a taste of the playoffs was a great feeling," said forward Aaron Gordon. "We put together a great stretch after the All-Star break, and... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Orlando Magic were supposed to have gotten a day off on Jan. 30. Instead, an incensed coach Steve Clifford brought his team in to watch film and make them see all the mistakes they made the night before in a loss to Oklahoma City.Plenty of teams would have grumbled about such a move.In this case, it paid off.Clifford showed them the error of their ways, and their ways changed. They took some days off over the next 3 1/2 months, sure — but they didn't take any more games off. A team that was 20-31 after that Thunder loss wound up going 22-9 down the stretch, earned its first playoff berth in seven years and set the tone for what Clifford is going to expect from the outset of next season."As the season went on, we played better and better and toward the end of the year we played some of our best basketball," Magic center Nikola Vucevic said. "We were just very well organized and it comes from the culture that coach Clifford installed, put in for us. As the season... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Orlando Magic reserve center Mo Bamba will be out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left leg.The team made the announcement in a news release before the Magic were set to play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. Bamba also missed Saturday's game against the Brooklyn Nets.Bamba, a rookie from Texas, is averaging 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.36 blocks per game. The team said the injury was caught early, so he will be treated without surgery. His return will depend on how he responds to rest, non-operative treatment and rehabilitation.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball