My Player (Season 3) Game #18 - Hapshoops32's Dynasty

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My Player (Season 3) Game #18

Posted on February 20, 2011 at 04:18 AM.

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MAGIC CHOP DOWN TIMBERWOLVES, HAPPEL INJURED

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Happel's great defense turns into instant, break-away offense

Orlando, FL (AP) - It's one of those moments where your heart stops, as a fan, a teammate, a member of the coaching staff, the team president, family and friends all holding their breath right now. Orlando picked up another easy victory, beating Minnesota 111-89. However, the win proved to be a very costly one. With 5:42 left in the game, Magic forward Brian Happel went up for a rebound and landed awkardly on his right foot. He went down in a heap, and time seemed to stop at the Amway Center. Happel could not finish the game. Early reports indicate a twisted ankle, which could be enough to sideline him for a couple of weeks. However, the team is getting an MRI done this morning to see if there is anything torn. Happel was visibly frustrated, as he hobbled around on cruches after the game. "Injuries are a part of the game, unfortunately. But you better believe I'm gonna work my butt off to get back on the court as soon as humanly possible."

Orlando Magic Stats - 2012-13
Player	GP	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%	FT%
Brian Happel	18	38.3	12.1	4.9	1.7	0.9	.704	.456	.945

The injury overshadowed what was easily one of Happel's best all-around games of his career. He poured in 40 points on 18-22 shooting, hitting 14 shots in a row at one point. He also grabbed 11 rebounds. Happel was on his way to a possible triple-double, as well. He handed out 7 assists. And, just for good measure, he came up with 5 steals and swatted away 2 shots. "He was just a one-man wrecking crew out there," said Dwight Howard, "When he wanted to score, he scored. When he wanted a teammate to score, he found the open guy. He was a force on defense. It was an amazing performance to watch."

Happel was all over the court, here picking up one of his 2 blocked shots on the evening

Happel had plenty of help from his teammates. Andray Blatche played a great game down low, scoring 25 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. He also had 5 assists and 2 steals. Center Dwight Howard was just short of a double-double with 10 points and 8 boards. John Salmons saw more action than he has in a while and took advantage, scoring 7 points on 3-6 shooting. In fact, the Magic just keep outshooting their opponents. Orlando was able to hit on 52% of its shots overall, including a respectable 5-12 from downtown.

Happel showing he's got ice in his veins, draining a three-pointer just before halftime

Once again, Orlando used a fast start in the third quarter to turn what was a relatively close game into a laugher. The Magic used a 9-2 run right out of the gate after halftime to push a 10 point lead to 17, and it never really got close after that. Orlando hit on 13-22 shots from the field in the third frame, good for 59%. And, the Magic played lock-down defense, holding the Timberwolves to just 34% shooting for the quarter. The first and third quarters have been the difference makers so far this season for Orlando, outscoring its opponents by an average of about 7 points in each of those quarters.

Dec 3, 2012 - ORL at OPP
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Orlando Magic ()	26.0	23.4	26.9	27.3	100.3
Opponents ()	18.9	21.3	19.4	23.0	85.8

Yunlong Lue was the offensive leader for Minnesota. The rookie swingman registered a career high 21 points. Johnny Flynn did a decent job running the offense, handing out 7 assists and scoring 13 points. The bigger story, and the positive thing to come out of this game for the Timberwolves, was the play of the bench. Minnesota outscored Orlando's bench 42-20. Still, it wasn't nearly enough.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Happel was flying high, connecting on a pair of nice alley-oop passes

The Timberwolves did a sufficient job getting to the foul line, and then taking advantage once they were at the charity stripe. Minnesota made 15-16 free throws, while Orlando only shot 6-9 from the line. However, the Timberwolves struggled protecting the basketball. They turned the ball over 14 times, compared to just 7 for the Magic. That big difference was in large part due to the 12 steals Orlando came away with. Orlando also dominated on the boards, outrebounding the T-Wolves 46-33. The Magic will now wait to see how long Happel will be out for. The injury comes just in time for a tough three-game west coast road trip against Phoenix, the Clippers and the Lakers.

Happel was not shy about taking it strong to the rack, here turning a Timberwolves player into a poster shot

Dec 3, 2012 - MIN at ORL
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Timberwolves (7-12)	21	22	20	26	89
Orlando Magic (16-2)	22	31	32	26	111

Minnesota Timberwolves
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
J. Flynn	36	4-7	1-1	4-4	2	7	1	0	3	13
A. Bowden	34	3-14	0-3	2-2	5	2	1	1	2	8
Y. Lue	35	10-24	1-4	0-0	4	2	0	1	4	21
K. Love	32	1-5	1-1	2-2	5	1	0	1	1	5
E. Izzo	14	0-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	1	3	0	0
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Young	30	6-11	1-2	1-2	3	2	0	1	1	14
C. Brewer	14	3-3	1-1	2-2	1	0	0	0	2	9
J. Bayless	13	0-1	0-0	4-4	2	1	0	0	0	4
N. Pekovic	12	3-3	0-0	0-0	5	1	0	0	0	6
W. Ellington	9	4-5	1-2	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	9
B. Teague	8	0-4	0-0	0-0	3	0	1	0	0	0
L. Hayward	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		34-79	6-14	15-16	33	16	4	7	14	89

Orlando Magic
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Wayne Washington	22	1-3	0-0	0-0	5	2	1	0	0	2
Stephen Jackson	36	7-18	1-4	1-2	4	3	0	0	0	16
Brian Happel	38	18-22	2-2	2-2	11	7	5	2	2	40
Andray Blatche	38	11-22	0-0	3-4	9	5	2	0	1	25
Dwight Howard	39	5-11	0-0	0-0	8	2	2	4	0	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
DeJuan Blair	25	1-3	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	1	2
Marcin Gortat	20	1-3	0-0	0-0	2	2	0	1	1	2
John Salmons	18	3-6	1-3	0-0	1	0	1	0	1	7
Mack Bledsoe	14	0-3	0-1	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	0
Cory Coleman	18	2-3	0-1	0-1	3	2	1	0	0	4
Ryan Anderson	10	2-2	1-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	5
Gilbert Arenas (injured)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		50-95	5-12	6-9	46	25	12	7	7	111