Magic coach blasts Kyle Lowry for 'dangerous' play on Aaron Gordon

Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford wants Kyle Lowry to be held accountable for supposedly injuring Aaron Gordon on purpose on Friday. The high-flying Magic forward had to exit the game in the third period of the Magic's road game against the Toronto Raptors due to a bum right ankle. But prior to that injury which scratched him off the game for good, Gordon already headed to the locker room after hyperextending his knee. Clifford was highly critical of Lowry after the match for purposely trying to cause harm to his player.

“He hit him right in the knee, man. It’s a dangerous play. A guy could get hurt badly. The officials saw it at halftime; they told me. But again, you could hurt somebody badly doing that,” the Magic tactician said of Lowry, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Here's Lowry's controversial box-out which hurt Gordon's knee.

This was the offensive possession prior to Aaron Gordon picking up a flagrant foul, and subsequently having to head to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/2aKtBfzhCc

— Dan Savage (@Dan_Savage) February 1, 2021

Related NewsArticle continues below

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) looks to drive to the basket in the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden

Paolo Banchero drops Knicks example for Magic to take next step to contend11h

Michael Porter Jr. photoshopped in Magic jersey.

Magic offseason trade proposal for Michael Porter Jr. after postseason struggles15h

Shaquille O'Neal of the Orlando Magic during the 1995 season at the Orlando Arena.

Shaq fuels rigged draft lottery conspiracies with David Stern revelation1d

The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.

Ranking 3 best Fred VanVleet free-agency destinations if he leaves Rockets1d

Aaron Gordon and Kyle Lowry already had some bad blood going on ever since their highly-physical encounter during a game inside the NBA bubble last year. While they played different positions, the two players made sure to guard one another in stretches on Sunday. As expected, both Lowry and Gordon exchanged hard fouls during the game.

Aaron Gordon got his revenge on Kyle Lowry from over the summer https://t.co/LUQDwxLh8z https://t.co/GlLDK8Uvy2

— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) February 1, 2021

While some level of physicality is a normal occurrence in NBA games, Steve Clifford is certainly not happy with Kyle Lowry's brash actions. The league will likely look into this matter further and could warrant sanctions for the Raptors playmaker. With AG sidelined, the Magic failed to mount a comeback against the home team and lost the contest, 102-115. Gordon had 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists in 23 minutes before his injury. Lowry, on the other hand, finished with 12 points, 15 assists, and six boards.

Magic coach blasts Kyle Lowry for ‘dangerous’ play that injured Aaron Gordon