INDIANAPOLIS — Jason Richardson never shies away from taking late-game shots.
For stretches of the regular season, he missed them.
On Saturday night, when the Magic needed him most, he made them.
Utilizing screens from Ryan Anderson and Glen Davis, Richardson drained a 3-pointer to pull Orlando to within 77-75 with 2:39 to go.
“I’m the type of guy who could live with myself if I missed that shot, but I’d rather make it most of the time,” Richardson said.
“I hadn’t touched the ball going into the fourth quarter. [Stan Van Gundy] drafted it up. I was like, ‘You know what? I’ve got to hit this shot.’ The shot was good, but the screens were better. Glen and Ryan, they set one hell of a pick. They didn’t let that guy get through that screen at all. They gave me all the time I needed to get that shot off.”
Then, with 1:04 left, Richardson then hit another 3-pointer off an Anderson screen to give Orlando a 78-77 lead the Magic never relinquished.
During the regular season, Richardson shot just 34.9 percent in the fourth quarter.
Saturday night, he gave the team a huge boost, finishing with 17 points.
“Nobody is giving us a chance,” he said. “Nobody expects us to do anything. What we really have is what we’ve got.”
Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.
