標籤: Magics

The Orlando Magic picked up a decisive 119-92 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday afternoon, but the game also included a minor injury to guard Anthony Black. Following the win, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley provided an update on Black’s status during his postgame media availability.

Black was subbed out early after playing only two minutes in the contest. The third-year guard recorded one rebound and one steal during that brief span, while missing both of his free-throw attempts. Orlando later ruled him out for the remainder of the game with what the team described as a “lower back strain.”

Mosley indicated that the play in which Black initially suffered the injury occurred during a drive to the basket.

“I think when he went to the basket, I think he caught his shoulder on that play where they called the foul. I think it might bother him in a little different way. He’ll be tested and we’ll see how he progresses.”

Black recently suffered an injury shortly after returning from another concussion. The 22-year-old missed two games earlier in the week with a quad injury before rejoining the lineup.

Anthony Black’s injury update comes out as the Magic continue to push into the playoffs

Despite those setbacks, Black is enjoying the most productive season of his young career. In his third NBA season, he is averaging a career-high 15.5 points with 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 45.1% from the field and 33.9% from 3-point range in 59 appearances, including 39 starts, while averaging 31.2 minutes per contest.

Black’s development has been a key component for Orlando as the team continues its push toward the postseason in the Eastern Conference. The Magic’s win over Minnesota marked their third consecutive win and helped improve their record to 34–28.

With the result, Orlando moved up to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference standings. The Magic are currently tied with the Philadelphia 76ers (34-28) for sixth place and just one game behind the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors (35-27).

Orlando will look to continue its momentum when the road trip concludes Sunday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee is entering the matchup with a 26-35 record and is currently on a four-game losing streak.

The game is scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM ET. Orlando will likely keep a close eye on Black’s condition before the match as the team awaits further evaluation of the injury.

Decades after his retirement from the NBA, Michael Jordan still has reason to celebrate, as 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick triumphed at Circuit of the Americas, winning the Duramax Texas Grand Prix. Along the way, Reddick became the first driver in Cup Series history to win the opening three races of a season.

Since the NASCAR Cup Series organization is co-owned by none other than MJ, it came with a congratulatory message from none other than Magic Johnson.

“I want to congratulate my friend Michael Jordan once again! His 23XI Racing team made NASCAR history by winning their third consecutive NASCAR race to start the 2026 season! 👏🏾” he wrote on X.

It was Reddick’s 11th career Cup win and second overall at COTA. He led a race-high 58 of the 95 laps, controlled the final restart on Lap 79, and defeated one of the field’s best road-course racers, Shane van Gisbergen, who was chasing his sixth consecutive road-course victory. The margin, 3.944 seconds, looked comfortable only on paper. For the first part of the final 16-lap green-flag run, Van Gisbergen was in striking distance of Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota Camry before slowly pulling up the hill into Turn 1.

The win gave Reddick a solid 70-point lead over teammate Bubba Wallace. This means MJ’s 23XI Racing now has three full-time entries and is a legitimate championship contender.

Additionally, Redick’s post-game celebration, during which he raised three fingers, was a direct allusion to Jordan’s iconic NBA three-peat with the Chicago Bulls. Defending race winner Christopher Bell finished third.

Ty Gibbs and Michael McDowell rounded out the top five while Hendrick Motorsports fielded Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott in sixth and seventh. Regardless, this win shows the intent of 23XI Racing, which includes players like Bubba Wallace (No. 23), Riley Herbst (No. 35), and Reddick (No. 45).

The battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic at Crypto.com Arena has a tendency to go straight down to the wire, and their contest on Tuesday night was no different. However, the Magic prevailed in the end – Wendell Carter Jr.’s putback layup proved to be the difference in a 110–109 defeat.

It looked like the Lakers had the momentum in the fourth, but their defense failed to stop them when they needed to. They took a 109–108 lead after a lazy defensive possession by the Magic that gave LeBron James room for the go-ahead wide-open dunk, but they could not complete the defensive stop as Orlando regained possession after a midrange miss from Paolo Banchero, leading to Carter’s game-winner.

The Lakers still had a chance to win, but Luka Doncic missed open three-point attempts twice to win the game, causing James to take a difficult turnaround shot for the game-winning attempt, which he missed.

After the game, head coach JJ Redick summed up The Lakers fell to 34–23 on the season.

“We’re a work in progress,” Redick said in his postgame presser via @ohnohedidnt24 on X (formerly Twitter).

JJ Redick: “We’re a work in progress” pic.twitter.com/Vjd9KZoIIq

– Oh no, he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) 25 February 2026

The Lakers’ defense needs a lot of work

The Lakers’ defense was very good in the final few months of the 2024-25 season, but it hasn’t quite clicked in this current campaign. DeAndre Ayton suffers from letdowns, Doncic and Austin Reaves have their shortcomings on that end of the field, James is aging, and the team doesn’t yet have the personnel to build a strong defensive infrastructure.

They currently rank 24th in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 116.6 points per 100 possessions. It may take the Lakers another year or two before they can maximize the roster around Doncic.