Orlando Magic veteran swingman Evan Fournier made a critical mistake that cost them the game against the New York Knicks on Thursday. Down by just one point with less than 10 ticks in the game, Fournier made an errant pass, which allowed the Knicks to escape, 94-93.
After the game, Fournier gave props to the Knicks for their stellar defense and acknowledged his own shortcomings. He praised Reggie Bullock for coming up with the defensive play and admitted he knew that the double team was coming, saying he should've read the play properly instead of reacting early.
“I'm going to give credit to Reggie because he got a deflection. But really, it's just me being naive. I made a rookie mistake. The last play they double-teamed me on top of the key on the pick-and-roll.”
"It's just me being naive. I made a rookie mistake," @EvanFourmizz.
Fournier said he should've read the final play instead of anticipating it and said he felt good being back on the court tonight. #MagicTogether pic.twitter.com/iiTJ4WpggO
— Bally Sports Florida: Magic (@BallyMagic) March 19, 2021
The Magic had a golden chance to win the game. All they had to do was execute the play properly. But as Fournier mentioned, he was immediately double-teamed after getting the pick from Nikola Vucevic. It was as if he panicked and threw an awkward pass that was easily deflected by Bullock.
What a way to win it for the Knicks. Pull it off with a defensive stop on the last possession to beat the Magic 94-93. Reggie Bullock suffocates Fournier trying to pass out of the pick-and-roll pic.twitter.com/qTsXgv5qZu
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) March 19, 2021
The loss marked the Magic's ninth straight defeat. They now have a 13-27 record for second-worst in the Eastern Conference. It's an unfortunate turnaround for the Magic as they had a promising 6-2 start to the season. From the looks of it, things got worse after Markelle Fultz went down with an ACL injury.
Evan Fournier and the Magic would have to dig deep to turn their season around. They are very capable of doing so. After all, they've made the NBA Playoffs for two consecutive seasons.