The Orlando Magic capped off the Orlando Pro Summer League by picking up their first win, a well-played contest against the Charlotte Bobcats that ended in a 80-77 final. The aggressive Magic made the weary Bobcats pay for their constant fouling, shooting 32-of-45 from the foul line, while Charlotte only mustered 10 attempts. Paul Davis led the Magic with 24 points in 25 minutes off the bench, including 14-of-16 shooting at the line as he and point guard Curtis Stinson continued to run the pick-and-roll effectively. Charlotte point guard Sherron Collins had the best game of the day, however, sinking seven three-pointers on his way to scoring a league-high 32 points in 35 minutes. Stanley Robinson, the athletic small forward whom Orlando selected with the 59th pick in this year’s draft, tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards, and threw down an incredible windmill dunk on a third-quarter fast break, which got the crowd of journalists and team officials stirring.
Orlando controlled the interior against Bobcats centers Alxis Ajinca, Pape Sow, and Nathan Jawai. None of them could keep track of Davis on his rolls to the rim, and their aversion to boxing out helped Orlando grab 12 offensive boards in 39 chances. Robinson did his part on that end as well, sneaking along the baseline for loose balls, as four of his 10 boards were offensive.
On the down side, first-round draft choice Daniel Orton, a center from Kentucky, continued to struggle, missing six of his seven shots and scoring only three points. However, his low-post moves looked more polished and patient today, a positive sign.
The Bobcats played without Gerald Henderson, but nearly got the win anyway thanks almost entirely to their backcourt of Collins and Jerel McNeal, who hit three treys of his own. All told, the pair combined for 45 of Charlotte’s 77 points. The rest of the team shot 13-of-51 for 32 points. Ajinca proved especially ineffective, shooting just three-of-10 from the field and committing six fouls in addition to a technical. Jawai also picked up a flagrant-one foul for throwing Davis to the floor as Davis drove to the rim for what would have been an emphatic jam.
Stinson tallied 14 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and no turnovers in a quietly impressive performance.