Getty Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic and Paul Millsap #4 of the Denver Nuggets charge down the court at Amway Center on December 05, 2018 in Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon said after today’s morning shootaround that he will play against the Washington Wizards tonight despite still feeling the effects of bruised ribs.
“That’s the plan. I went through shootaround and felt all right and so I’ll do what I can and hopefully be ready by game time,” Gordon said. “I think I’ll be all right.”
Aaron Gordon suffered the injury early in the Magic’s 105-97 road loss against the Grizzlies last Sunday. The forward had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the setback but he struggled with his shot, going just 5-for-17 from the field and 1-for-6 from 3-point range.
Magic Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Wizards
*Notates expected starter
C: Nikola Vucevic*, Khem Birch
PF: Jonathan Isaac*, Jarell Martin
SF: Aaron Gordon*, Terrence Ross
SG: Evan Fournier*, Wesley Iwundu
PG: D.J. Augustin*, Jerian Grant
Gordon is the Magic’s second-leading scorer and rebounder at 15.9 points and 7.4 rebounds. He is shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 33.0 percent from beyond the arc in 33.6 minutes over 64 games.
The last time these two teams met Gordon finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a block across 39 minutes in a 95-91 home loss and he’s averaging 20.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists on 51.2 percent shooting in 38.3 minutes across three games against the Wizards this season.
Backup guard Wes Iwundu will also play tonight despite nursing a toe injury. Iwundu had seven points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes against the Grizzlies and he’s averaging 4.9 points in 17.8 minutes over 54 games this season.
This is a must-win game for both teams and Capital One Arena will have a playoff atmosphere. The Magic are just one game behind the Heat for eighth place in the Eastern Conference while the Wizards are just 3.5 games out.
Orlando has been inconsistent after the All-Star break, wasting the opportunity to secure a playoff spot by losing to teams they should have beat. The team has to rebuild confidence and put their inconsistent past behind them. Aaron Gordon’s play can make a difference in the next few weeks.
Every game matters late in the season and the Magic need Gordon to give them a consistent effort and take over games.
The Wizards are playing better basketball lately and they lead the season series against the Magic 2-1, so Gordon has to be at his best tonight, another 5-for-17 shooting effort won’t get the job done for his team.