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The Orlando Magic were up by one with 6.3 seconds left in regulation against the Chicago Bulls on Friday when Magic power forward Aaron Gordon fouled Bulls stretch-forward Lauri Markkanen on a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left.
Markkanen made two out of his three free throws and the Bulls won by a final score of 110-109. Gordon says he had a hard time sleeping on Friday and admits he made a “rookie mistake.”
.@OrlandoMagic F Aaron Gordon still upset for fouling @chicagobulls F Lauri Markkanen: "That was a rookie mistake on my part, fouling a 3-pt shooter at the end of the game. You aren’t supposed to foul 3-pt shooters, in general, but doing it at the end of the game is brutal."
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) February 23, 2019
More AG on foul at end of 110-109 loss on Friday: "I had a tough time sleeping, but that’s part of my own maturation because you’ve got to sleep to be able to come back and turn it around. I’m still working on that and continuing to learn to be better for my team."
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) February 23, 2019
It was a big loss for the Magic, who are now 27-33 on the season, 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. Orlando is one and a half games back of the Detroit Pistons for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
Gordon is one of the best players on the Magic. It's good that he cares about the loss and is taking ownership of his mistake. The high-flyer finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists against the Bulls in 32 minutes.
Gordon will get a chance to redeem himself on Sunday when Orlando takes on Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors in Canada. The 23-year-old is averaging 15.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 34.0 percent from beyond the arc and 72.1 percent from the free-throw line.
