POSTGAME REACTION: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets 3/19/24

POSTGAME REACTION: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets 3/19/24

You guys did your work there in the first half up by 41 what was the mentality obviously you guys wanted to put him away early um you know first half was really good second half was eh I mean we we we started taking it for granted having

This lead and that’s why they cut it down back in 20 and I mean I could have been a lot better in that second half too you know we um ball kind of got stagnant and you know they wed a run and they were able to win this second half

So I think for us we got got to clean that up and you know instead of letting it get to 20 put that joint up to 60 why not you know what I’m saying absolutely how about your performance here tonight 19 in the first half you finished with

21 you talked to us in right before half about the work you’ve been putting in so tell us about the work you’ve been you come through I’m always type of do going to do is do diligence I’m always put that work in and you know someone told

Me recently didn’t think I was going hard enough in the gym so I to get in there a little more but um yeah n you know it was only it was we it was it was it was a matter of time before you know that joint started going through the rim

Again so you know shout out to guys uh shout out to that ball shout out to that basket you know what I’m saying absolutely how about what you guys have done lately you guys seem to be on a mission what can you accomplish here at the final 13 games Cole what is the

Mindset right now um for us I mean we want to finish out this uh regular season as strong as we can win is every wi every game wi win as many games as we can and not take any game for granted so you know I think um we’re doing that

Right now and um you know not uh looking at the team in front of us and you know looking at the record and thinking oh man this is going to be a cakewalk but you know respecting every opponent cuz every every team in is League can play

So we just do that we going to be all right what’s been the biggest key with that cuz 26 and9 now against teams under 500 you have respected every opponent You’ played this year yeah and I think we just got to continue to do that I

Mean I think you know we’re a real uh you know uh I don’t know how to describe it we’re a real funloving team you know what I’m saying but um you know when it comes down to it we we take the game seriously everyone here puts in their

Individual work we put in our our work as a team and so we continue we going to continue to do that and you know just make this push for as long we can and we going to be all right you’re the first magic player to use due diligence in a

Walk-off so that’s impressive took the SAT once you know had to throw a little SAT words or something is that two you know I took the SAT only one time so all right lad something nice out there you know what I’m saying we know you got a

Good vocabulary you know I’ll be putting in that work on and off the court UNC in the in the in March matters come on tell us about UNC oh man the Champs Is Here Yeah they they going all the way this year I can feel it they got a real good

Team shout out to my boy RJ shout out to my boy m shout out to Harrison Ingram and shout out to coach Davis they got a heck of a team in and um I look forward to seeing them do great things shout out to you great win tonight Co hey I appreciate

You Dante my man got talking to Jaylen after a W uh Jaylen just talk about the tone that you guys set coach did a great breakdown you and Gary Harris just wreaking havoc out there on the perimeter you did it again tonight um I think it was a complete team effort

Tonight everybody was defending uh everyone was on one Accord we were talking covering for each other um you know we play defense like that it’s scary um you know I think the best part about it is we just showed ourselves how good we can be you know in the standard

That we set and now we hold ourselves to that um but a great night from the boys everybody was you know active on that end and uh you know it’s really cool seeing defense you know and it being appreciated and you know the things that it leads to an offensive

Enforce Jaylen coach Hill here you know when I I keep saying on The Telecast you know when when you and Gary Harris are out there picking up guys at half court and really pressuring the basketball assuring people the guys behind you your teammates behind you can’t help but pick

Up their defensive effort at the same time do you feel that as a player or does coach Mosley talk about that with you um I know me personally I feel that you know just being on the court with with Gary you know watching him defend learning from him as a Defender um I

Think has really helped me grow this year um you know he’s continued to teach me um you know about basketball defensively offensively life um you know he been a great mentor so being on the court with him you know sharing that same defensive tenacity and and everybody else coming along and you know

Everybody’s talking Nowell setting the tone in the paint p and fr are active um you know and then we’re all five on one Accord and it’s really fun to play defense with these guys and um you know definitely can feel you know when it gets ramped up how just how good we can

Be Jaylen three more steals for you tonight 16 points your top 10 in steals per game all the things that you’ve accomplished this year obviously we’re always a work in progress and a lot more work to do this year but the way you’re shooting the three ball lead the team in

Threes made your def what are you most proud of about what you’ve added to your game here this year improved on the most um I think I’m most happy is about my mental um honestly uh all all the physical things you know they come with practice they come you know with being

Around a a staff you know that we have um you know they push me to get better every day um you know in every aspect shooting defensively ball handling uh helping me slow the game down I think all of that is showing but um the work that mentally that I’ve done and that

These boys have helped you know keep me you know grounded locked in um you know confident uh I think is the thing that I’m most proud of um because it’s something that is really hard you know not a lot of people like to you know look at themselves in the mirror and

Answer and ask themselves the hard questions and uh you know it’s something that I’ve tried to do continually try to improve on and um you know hopefully you know it’s being seen and noticed so I think I think that piece for me personally you know above all else has

Been has been it that’s great kudos to you on that Jaylen that’s awesome Jaylen tell me about I tonight I I thought uh the interior passing was really special what’s what’s the philosophy of the coaches of the players uh of you know when the ball gets in the paint there’s

Always Cutters on the Baseline uh and that the passing has just been outstanding especially the interior passing in the paint what’s what’s the philosophy of that or how how much do you guys work on that uh you know when we were turning the ball over there for

For a stretch you know where our turnovers are extremely high um you know we sat down we had a conversation in film one day you know just about how our interior passing literally um you know we’re throwing the ball off off guys fees off legs and we turning over lot in

There so really trying to hone in and you know really you know become more crisp and clean you know in the things that we’re doing when we get the ball in the pocket you know when we drive cause a problem now making the right good pass

Uh you know to our teammates you know and then just continuing to give uh give everybody Outlets you know FR and them do such a great job of creating problems creating help uh creating rotation you know so I think then it’s on us uh the

Rest of us on the perimeter to cut give them windows um and make things easy for us for them uh you know to find passes and you know they’re doing that we’re all doing that you know I think everyone is playing really well together flowing

Off each other and uh you know just at least a good assist good basketball and it’s a fun brand to play it’s fun brand to watch yeah exactly it’s a fun brand to watch all right last thing Jaylen how much fun is this whole operation right

Now your first year 22 wins 34 last year you’re sitting at 41 half a game out of fourth with 13 to go this is the best I can’t understand it this is the best um you know winning with this group the same group that we’ve had you know

We’ve added small pieces you know every year but you know this is really the same same Collective group we’ve had since I got here same staff and all that so to win with these guys to win with this city um you know to really see all our improvements really come together

And and show and the city has our back on it it means the world so you know really looking forward to the rest of this home stretch uh you know being with everybody turning the city up getting ready for April and then um you know some good playoff basketball love it

Well this is good Jaylen but the best is yet to come that’s when you start playing playoff basketball yes sir you said it that’s right all right good luck to Gonzaga right you’ll be watching them and good luck to your zags here in the tournament J shout out boys go zag all

Right great job tonight J coach your group was really able to open it up and extend the lead in the in the second quarter what did you like about your your group’s effort in that period our defense I think that our guys did a great job of being getting after the

Basketball uh defending without fouling uh the pressure was was there from each indiv from each individual um I just thought we got a great job defending getting Steals and getting out and being able to run Jamal where do you rank tonight’s performance by Jaylen in terms of his

Disruptiveness and being kind of the straw who stirs the drink for you all you know first team all defense that’s what that looked like um man I think he had a couple situations where he actually just stole the ball and it’s it’s hard to see like you think it’s a

Foul because of how aggressive he was and he’s doing it because he’s beaten guys to spots uh he’s he’s so disruptive but it’s what he’s capable of doing on a consistent basis and when he’s close to his best like that what effect does it have on your

Team as a whole well he’s the head of the snake you know he’s the first one he’s the first line of defense and as he’s picking up full court getting into the basketball uh that back line is making sure they’re protecting him uh sticking to our principles knowing what

We’re capable of doing but he starts it all off his energy his enthusiasm it just carries over you know from from from him down to the next guy you said in Toronto that you want 29 assists or more a night 30 and above is nice you

Had 32 tonight what did you like about the way you guys were sharing the ball what stood out to you about the effort tonight I mean the first quarter I think we passed it a ton I think we had two stepped out of bounds twice uh but I

Just love the way the ball was moving the the ability for the guy to read the defense and recognize what was there and if you don’t have anything you move it it’s just that trust that this group continues to build with one another for making the play for the guy next to him

Uh another game where the the opponent has less than 100 points what what does that say about where this this defense is at as you know as we start getting to to crunch time here in the season well they’re taking full ownership of what we’re capable of doing and that’s what I

Talked about that that first half was was special the way in which we got into the basketball finish possessions forc turnovers uh we were able to get out into on the break and yes they were celebrating and enjoying the offensive end of the floor but it all started with

Our ability to sit down and guard the right way picking back up on the point with Jaylen though I mean you consistently address it him being the head of the snake him consistently bringing that enthusiasm and tenacity on that side of the Flor butall are there times still where he just continues to

Wow you and just absolutely impress you the things that he does out there yes yes consistently I I know I know we we talked about a little bit before before the game but now the team has officially clinched a spot in at least the playing tournament in the postseason um what

Does that what does that mean to you guys is that something that you that you know that you know in locker room or or how do you kind of use that and turn turn your attention toward what’s what’s left for the rest of the season I think

We continue to focus on on one game at a time continue to build our habits the right way stick to our standard of style of play um but again knowing that we’re there but not being satisfied with that uh because that’s not what we set out to

Do uh we set out to be playing our best basketball in March and April and that’s what we’re going to continue to do on a consistent basis our level of work our level of focus each and every single day that we know we need to do in order to

You know get where we’re trying to go coach Cole shot 9 of 12 tonight two of those misses were threes what have you been talking with him about shot selection and when he is playing at his aame how good can that second unit be that second unit can be special uh and

You know for a long time they they had you know hit a stride that was really good and they just finding that rythm back again is is going to be good for us uh but again with Cole it’s just continuing to be aggressive be who he is

Uh but also making basketball plays you know the right decision the right pass he he had a couple crosscourt passes couple pocket passes to Mo um I thought he did a great job of reading the game and recognizing what was what was coming at him they started to Blitz him a

Little bit so he tried to make the right read there as well

The Orlando Magic reeled off their fourth straight victory by beating the Hornets on Tuesday night. Hear from Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Jamahl Mosley after the win.

0:00 – Cole Anthony
2:39 – Jalen Suggs
7:32 – Jamahl Mosley

#NBA #OrlandoMagic #BallySportsFlorida