ORLANDO – Out of nowhere on Thursday, as the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets were slogging through a relatively meaningless April game, Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton decided to put on an impromptu slam-dunk contest and breathe some life into the night.
And it was only fitting that on a night when newly enshrined Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady was sitting courtside that Payton and Gordon teamed up for an off-the-backboard dunk – similar to what McGrady once pulled off in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game.
Gordon scored 21 points – many of them coming off dunks set up Payton’s 11 assists – as the Magic played with plenty of fire in the second half and defeated Brooklyn 115-107 at the Amway Center.