Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic Looking to 'Maintain The Standard'
ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic have put the league on notice with their seven-game winning streak that has included wins over perennial title contenders like the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics.
Cole Anthony has been pivotal to the Magic's (12-5) strong start to the season and had his best performance to date on Sunday in their 130-117 win over the Charlotte Hornets (5-10). Anthony had a season-high 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the win.
Orlando overcame a slow start and outscored the Hornets 105-83 after the first quarter. The Magic also had a season-high 33 assists in the win.
"We did a great job of kind of being selfless with the ball," Anthony said. "Drawing two [players] and kicking it out to the open person. [It] wasn’t our best start. It wasn’t our best game, but we found a way to get it done. You can’t be mad at a win in the NBA.”
Cole Anthony is averaging 15 points per game.
© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The fourth-year guard is averaging 15 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season. Across Orlando's winning streak, he's averaging 17.57 points per game. Anthony's play throughout the season was praised by Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley after their win over Charlotte.
"He’s got that level of resilience," Mosley said. "And the great part about Cole is that when he doesn’t do something that he doesn’t think is right, he’s harder on himself. That’s the part about this group, that they’re gonna demand more out of themselves than you can ask. So, they’re holding each other accountable. They’re doing the right thing, continuing to push for each other.”
The Magic's start is a complete 180 compared to last season when they were 5-20 through the first 25 games. At 12-5, the Magic are second in the Eastern Conference and are more than living up to the expectations that were placed on them.
If Orlando is going to turn its hot start into one of its best seasons in recent memory, Anthony believes it'll come down to the team taking things one game at a time and holding themselves to the standard that has gotten them to this point.
"You can't worry about who's on the schedule," Anthony said. "We've got to approach every game the exact same way We set a standard for ourselves and we need to do a great job ourselves of maintaining that standard. If we do that, sky's the limit. I don't see any reason why we can't win any games."
