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The Orlando Magic extended their winning streak to four games with a decisive 133-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. Jalen Suggs led the charge, delivering a career-high performance of 31 points, seven assists, and three rebounds to improve the Magic's record to 13-7 in the 2024-25 NBA season.
For Suggs, the milestone reflected not only his growth as a player but also the support system that has helped him navigate the ups and downs of his career.
“It’s really cool, honestly,” Suggs said postgame. “You look back at those games three years ago; I was running around on the offensive end without even a clue of what was going on, just kind of figured out things as I went through the good and the bad – just going through it, continuing to go through the process of evolution.”
Suggs credited his family, coaches, and teammates for helping him improve steadily since his rookie year.
“I give a lot of credit to the people who are around me. I’ve said it before: pops, uncles, cousins, coaches, players, everyone is important to me as a basketball player. They’ve given me confidence to keep going every day but also gave me the tools and the skill set to improve… It takes a village to raise a child, and the village produced a 30 ball tonight.”
Jalen Suggs career-high highlights growth, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finds shooting touch
This season, Suggs has leaped in his development, averaging career-highs in multiple categories, including 15.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
The Magic also benefited from a resurgent performance by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who signed with the team in the offseason. Caldwell-Pope, who has struggled to find his rhythm early in the season, recorded 24 points, four steals, and two assists against the Bulls. He shot an efficient six-for-10 from three-point range, showcasing the sharpshooting ability the Magic had hoped for when acquiring him.
“I’ve started a season like this before, I’ve been in the shooter slumps before,” Caldwell-Pope admitted. “For me, it’s just all about continuing to keep my confidence at a high level and not get down on myself by missing the shots.”
Reflecting on his performance, Caldwell-Pope said, “Tonight felt like I just played without worrying about making shots. It was like an all-time high – I’m still a little jumpy right now. Tonight just felt great to be able to see the ball go through, and just being able to have fun with my teammates and my brothers out there just made it even better.”
Jamahl Mosley praises backcourt as catalysts for Magic's defensive success
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley praised the perseverance of Caldwell-Pope through his shooting slump.
“Just keeping that confidence, and we’ve talked about it with this group of guys. They’re getting the right shots, and I think their ability to stay confident in that is great. He was in the gym working yesterday, just continuously working, knowing at some point they’re gonna fall.”
Mosley also highlighted the defensive impact of the Suggs-Caldwell-Pope backcourt.
“I got to talk about their defense first. Their defense is incredible; there are no nights off for any guards in this league with those guys because you got one that crawls into the ball full-court, then you switch, you got another one that’s crawling to the ball. They start our defense, and their ability to knock shots down as they did tonight is huge.”
The duo’s defensive intensity stifled the Bulls' backcourt, as Zach LaVine and Coby White struggled throughout the game. The two combined to shoot just six-for-19 from the field, with White committing five turnovers. Together, they totaled only 17 points, with nine coming from White.
The Magic’s balanced performance showcased their potential as a team on the rise. With Jalen Suggs finding his groove and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope regaining his touch, Orlando looks poised to build on its momentum as the season progresses.
The Magic now prepare to embark on a five-game road trip starting with back-to-back games against the Brooklyn Nets (9-10) on Friday and Sunday as part of their NBA Cup schedule, in which the Magic are currently 2-0. They will then conclude the New York portion of the trip with their final NBA Cup showdown against the Knicks (10-8) on Tuesday.
