Anthony Black delivers early NBA Christmas gift to Magic fans

St. Anthony Black put on his red hat, hopped on his sleigh, and delivered gifts to Magic fans of all ages last night all around the world.

After flying out of the gates with 19 points and 4 threes in the first half, Black kept the ball moving in the second, finishing with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.

AB lit the fuse under Orlando's offense to help spark the Magic to a victory in Portland:

Anthony Black's spot-starting flexibility is the gift that keeps on giving

Black points — Dec 22, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) celebrates a three point basket against the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

First, the broken play for an open three.

Then a catch-and-shoot corner three; then another.

Suddenly, the ABomb was lit.

The steals, the drives, the finishes.

The kickouts for open threes.

The stepback triple for good measure? Why not.

Anthony Black lit a fuse under Orlando's offense to help the #MagicWin in Portland

making winning plays on both ends throughout:
drives, threes, kicks, digs, deflections, steals

AB dropped 19 PTS on 4 3PM + 2 AST in First Half !
finishing with 22 PTS - 7 REB - 6 AST - 2 STL pic.twitter.com/PZlEexpIJy
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) December 24, 2025

Anthony Black stayed making winning plays on both ends throughout to help his Orlando team win its fourth and final game of their West Coast road trip before a short 2-day Christmas break.

Black's 19pt first-half explosion may feel like deja vu to Magic fans; AB's popped off for threes and dunks while finishing plays on and off the ball in many quick spurts many times before.

This 21pt night for Anthony Black is his 7th game scoring 20+ points this season, including a career-high 31 points on Nov. 25 at Philadelphia, via Magic PR.

Over his last four games, Black is averaging 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.3 stocks shooting 53% on 10 twos, 39% 3P% on 6 3PA, and 70% FT% on 5 free throws per game.

Black has scored 19+ PTS in four straight, coinciding with the games Orlando's missed Franz Wagner due to injury: 22 PTS in Portland, 19 PTS in Golden State, 20 PTS in Utah, and 22 PTS in Denver.

Being able to replace the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and even power forward on any given night is an insane luxury of depth for the Magic's coaching staff; Anthony Black is this team's official spot-starter.

AB keeps improving with more touches as the season goes on: over his first 28gm, Black posted 15 PTS - 4 REB - 4 AST - 1.9 stocks; over his last 17gm, he's up to 17 PTS - 5 REB - 4 AST - 2 stocks.

Orlando's coaching staff trusts Anthony Black as a starter in any perimeter position primarily because he defends hard while usually guarding the opposing team's best player whether it's at point guard or power forward; and, beyond that elite defense, AB looks for the open man, spaces the floor, has grown incredibly confident in his handles, and attacks the rim like no tomorrow.

AB defends, switches, digs, shoots, drives, kicks, and creates, a rare combination of a skills for a 6'7" player who considers himself a tall point guard, who can also switch onto any non-bigs in the league.

With Orlando balancing rotations all year due to injuries to their big wing stars, expect to see plenty of AB playing the role of superstar spot-starter until further notice.

Magic Fans only have one ask – will St. Anthony Black keep on delivering gifts after the holidays end?