POSTGAME REACTION: Orlando Magic vs. Phoenix Suns 1/28/24

POSTGAME REACTION: Orlando Magic vs. Phoenix Suns 1/28/24

You guys never quit just tell us about the energy you guys were able to find there in the second half yeah sometimes you just got to go with a head through the wall you know uh I don’t know something about the energy of this group uh we’ve been

Struggling I hate these I hate these so much um something about the energy of this crewp that we can grind wind out winds out like that is uh it’s pretty special how about you another double double relentless on the boards five offensive rebounds what did you see I

Know it’s just effort you’re doing your job but you took advantage of something honestly this is probably my worst shooting night all year so I just trying to uh put my head through the wall and figure something out and uh a lot of good things happen when you try to play

Hard I know Devon Booker had a big night but defensively how about the stops how are you guys able to come together and get big stops down the stretch I mean obviously super talented and you can’t put your head down when they score you know they uh really good at every

Position almost so you got to be relentless keep playing and they’ll score some but got put your head up and keep playing it’s the third fewest points they’ve scored in a game all year Jonathan Isaac out there on the floor how about him defensively about I mean

He’s unbelievable that’s what he does uh one of the best defensive players in the league if not the best uh it’s a big pish for me because we can pressure a little more and uh he hides other things so I’m very uh privileged to be on a

Team with him you have enough stuff packed in your suitcase for 10 days I totally forgot that we’re on the road now is it 10 days 10 days day by day man I’m going wear the same sweatsuit every day Jonathan Isaac first of all ji uh

Congrats on the victory I mean that was an electric atmosphere that was a big win just kind of take us through how proud you are of your guys pulling this one out tonight yeah absolutely I just think a phenomenal game so many guys um chipped in and and you guys spoke about

It already the defensive effort um through all four quarters know book got it going for a large majority of the game but the hold a team like Phoenix to 13 points really 11 points cuz you know they got one in kind of garage time 11 points in a quarter is it’s it’s it’s

Unheard I don’t know if anybody’s done that all season and so for us to come in and get it done like that is just you know nothing but proud of the guys and and glad that I was able to part take in that effort well their fewest points in

The second quarter was 19 and they tied that tonight so you guys did that defensively as well how about you take us through your effort tonight especially defensively chasing around Durant all night and then two enormous blocks ji I don’t even know how you got

Up in time for the second one that was phenomenal yeah just just just trying to play my part really um you know I knew that you know Garden you know KD tonight was going to be a a big effort on my part and uh I told him I said look all

Respect and love you know I got a lot of love for you um you know but I I I got to do what I got to do tonight so try my best to you know agitate him and just be physical and um you know he definitely

Got some shots over me but for the majority of the game I was able to you know know keep him that bay hey J how much pride do you take in being able to come in the game and do things like that to to somebody like a Kevin Durant want

Of the alltime greatest players in the NBA one of the best scores and you’re able to come in there and stifle guys like that how much pride do you take when you get in the game being that type of defensive stopper the way you do a

Ton you know I I just give God all the glory for my for my ability but I I tell the guys all the time I tell them I’ve never been scored on in my life because I always forget if it ever happened so uh you know I’m I’m the only guy that’s

Ever done that so I just I just try my best to to go in there and just make it tough for guys that are you know legendary scorers like KD um I got a ton of respect for him so to be able to limit him in any way you know um you

Know definitely makes me feel good and I you know go into the game with a chip on my shoulder well was great Jonathan to see the minutes creep up 23 minutes here tonight so how are you feeling and uh you know again two two games and three

Nights how are you feeling Comfort wise I feel good and the the wind is definitely getting there um and just being you know comfortable in my body running the floor I feel like I’m getting better in transition as well um you know going to expect to go tomorrow

You know on a back toback that I haven’t done in a while so excellent I’m getting there I I feel really good and and again just trying my best to take it one game one day at a time man I don’t really have another question I just got a ton

Of respect for you man as a former Hooper the injuries and everything that you go if you’ve been through and the way You’ just uh persevered and went through them and continued to come back stayed focused stay levelheaded man a lot of people would have walked away by

Now but you still out here doing it and bringing it the right way man I got a ton of a ton of respect for you dog I appreciate that Q thank you so much yeah everything he said ditto you’re exactly right well said q and keep up the great

Work Jonathan it’s great to have you out there and uh good luck on this road trip you got enough stuff in your suitcase you’re going to make it yeah for sure have fun thank you fell all right great job enjoy this one tonight Jonathan Isaac coach a lot to highlight

Viously from that performance but your team’s Collective fourth quarter effort just just how impressed and proud of you of of their performance in the fourth yeah I couldn’t be more proud you know we talk about the defensive end of the floor and what we want to do I mean that

Was about Elite fourth quarter that I’ve seen uh their communication they’re switching they’re navigating the right situation offensively uh keeping each other involved understanding what the matchups were on the floor I mean you you continue to ask for them to grow and learn and read different situations and

That’s what they did putting that together how big was Jonathan Isaac in that fourth quarter for you guys just defensively and and what he provided tonight gigantic I mean the his disruption on KD uh switching out being able to Guard book being able to be at

The Rim uh all of those things which is what makes him you know an elite Defender physical was tonight from your perspective I thought it was very physical I mean our guys but you know the great part about that is that our guys embraced it um I mean there was a

Couple screens that we ran through uh there was a lot of tags and pick and rolls that you know you know standing guys up early uh the right way um but again it’s got to be who it’s who we are we’ve got to be physical and defend the

Right way and disrupt teams and not make it easy for him as they you know as they come on our home floor coach you guys had 43 points Off the Bench Mo said to Dante just now this is probably one of his worst shooting nights though but can

You just talk a little bit about just how the bench was able to really come together and and stand up and and do what you guys needed to be done to get the win you know I think they took on the challenge at halftime there was

There was it was you know a little bit tricky in that in that second in that first quarter on the back end uh they took on that challenge you know what Mo did and I’m not worried about his shooting uh what he did do was he gave us extra possessions on the offensive

Glass and I don’t realize I don’t think a lot of people realize how important that is for this team getting extra possessions in a game like this an elite scoring team that you get extra possessions on the SEC on the other end but what’s the energy like in the locker

Room after a wh like this and how do you plan on using that energy towards this road trip coming up well like we we talked about this before the game there has to be a sense of joy every time you touch this floor there has to be a sense

Of togetherness and continue to push and and pull for one another that’s who this group is and that’s what that locker room is and that’s who the Orlando Magic are you know they’re team that’s going to continue to pull for one another defend at a high level and just continue

To share and be together what does it what does it say about the team that they were able to kind of stick stick to it and kind of grind their way to that defensive effort you know obviously Booker had the individual game that he had but what does it say

About the team that they were able to kind of stick to it and and still defend at a high level even with Booker making shot making some of the shots he made well what you forced them into was a lot of tough tws um and you know the

Three-point line is where we’ve been getting hit and you forced him into the tough contested tools with sometimes three hands over him you know you send a double team at him he finds a way to get around and beat it you know he’s an elite scorer they have three of them

Over there and so our ability to defend one late without fouling and then on the back end of it was just forcing the tough twos we saw it against Memphis but having Anthony black and Jonathan Isaac on the floor at the same time like how does that change things for you

Defensively just their length their basketball IQ uh their willingness to fight over and under screens I mean there was a couple situations where they get into a side pick and roll um they switch it you know Anthony black ends up on KD he he’s Mo vogner’s on the

Baseline ready to come across for the help they throw the ball out of bounds um just the length and the disruption and the the deflection aspect of the game know you want to enjoy this one since it since it just ended you know 10 15 minutes ago but how do you try and

Replicate this and and make sure that this carries over into another game tomorrow night with another difficult difficult uh individual match up in luuka I’m enjoy this for about one more hour till we get on the plane then we’ll start watching the Dallas film

The Orlando Magic stepped up on defense and beat the Suns on Sunday night. Hear from Moe Wagner, Jonathan Isaac and Jamahl Mosley after the victory.

0:00 – Moe Wagner
1:31 – Jonathan Isaac
4:28 – Jamahl Mosley

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