Cole Anthony added a bright spot to an up-and-down rookie season with this epic buzzer-beater to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rookie guard Cole Anthony has struggled mightily with his shot to start his NBA career but things are looking up lately. A frantic buzzer-beating 3-pointer like he hit against the Timberwolves Wednesday night could be just the thing to get him on track.
The Timberwolves led the Magic by as many as 20 points but a frantic fourth-quarter comeback helped Orlando close the gap. Anthony hit a 3-pointer with 34.6 seconds left to cut Minnesota’s lead to two. The Magic got a stop and a chance to win with an Aaron Gordon 3-point attempt that wouldn’t go down. Orlando then fouled forward Jarred Vanderbilt with 7.4 seconds left, hoping for a miss and one more chance.
Vanderbilt did miss, both shots, giving Anthony a chance for this:
Could this performance spark a hot steak for Cole Anthony?
Anthony finished the game with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, hitting 5-of-7 from the field and all three of his shots from beyond the arc. It’s another solid performance in what has been a slow steady march of improvement.
In his first right games, Anthony was productive, averaging 8.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, but shooting just 30.3 percent from the field and 19.0 percent from beyond the arc. With Markelle Fultz out for the season with a torn ACL, Anthony has started the last seven games hitting double figures in scoring five teams and seeing his shooting percentage slowly tick up. In his last three games, he’s shooting close to 40 percent overall and he’s hit 7-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Unfortunately for the Magic, Fultz’s absence has coincided with an enormous slide — they’d lost six in a row before last night’s last-season win. More confidence for Anthony as a shooter and scorer can hopefully help Orlando regain their rhythm and get back to the strong play they showed to start the season.