Magic snap Clippers’ 13-game home winning streak

The Orlando Magic are just 13-23 on the season, but they have some surprising signature wins that give the fan base hope as the team rebuilds without a superstar on the roster, and with a first-year head coach running the show.

Saturday afternoon’s come-from-behind 104-101 win over a Clippers team that held a share of the league’s best record coming in was yet another one to add to the resume, as Orlando, losers of 10 straight, held L.A. to just 18 fourth-quarter points while making its way back to secure the victory.

What was most interesting about the Clippers fourth quarter meltdown was the lineup they used in order to make sure they left the door open wide enough for the Magic to have a shot.

Three of L.A.’s five starters are DeAndre Jordan, Caron Butler, and Willie Green. Yet none were to be found in the final period of this one, with Vinny Del Negro instead opting for Jamal Crawford, Lamar Odom, and Matt Barnes, all of which played the entire fourth quarter.

Grant Hill made his season debut for the Clips in this one, and Del Negro in his infinite wisdom felt that the first six and a half minutes of the fourth quarter was the perfect time for that to happen. Hill finished 0-for-3 from the field with two points and two rebounds during this limited action, but L.A. found themselves ahead by just seven when he subbed out for Blake Griffin with five and a half minutes remaining.

J.J. Redick‘s three-pointer with 42 seconds remaining broke a 99-all tie, and gave the Magic a lead they would never relinquish. Redick was 4-of-6 from the field in the fourth for 10 of his 21 points, and Arron Afflalo had eight in the final frame to bring his total for the game to 30 points, to go along with seven assists.

The Clippers wasted brilliant performances from Griffin, who finished with 30 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, and Chris Paul, who didn’t shoot the ball terribly well but finished with 16 assists. Crawford’s offense wasn’t there off the bench, and he finished just 4-of-12 from the field with 13 points.

“This was a bad loss,” Griffin said afterward, according to the Associated Press. “We have to get back to what made us successful and what got us here. That was our defensive intensity and everybody contributing and everybody having a fire out there.”

“An embarrassing performance for us,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “We got what we deserved.”

Del Negro’s coaching has always been the big question mark in terms of how far this Clippers team is able to go this season. We may have gotten our first glimpse of how he may negatively affect the team’s chances in this Saturday afternoon loss to the Magic.