The 1990–91 Orlando Magic season was the second season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association.
Season summary
Off-season After finishing with an 18–64 record in their inaugural season, the Magic received the fourth overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft, and selected small forward Dennis Scott out of Georgia Tech University. During the off-season, the team signed free agent Greg Kite. After playing in the Central Division in the Eastern Conference the previous season, the Magic moved into the Western Conference, and settled into the Midwest Division this season.
Regular season With the addition of Scott and Kite, the Magic continued to struggle in their second season, losing their first six games of the regular season. After a three-game winning streak, the team lost 16 of their next 18 games, which included a seven-game losing streak between November and December, and an eight-game losing streak in December, leading to a 5–22 start to the season. The Magic posted a six-game losing streak in January, and later on held a 14–33 record at the All-Star break. However, the team won eight of their eleven games in February, and played around .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, finishing in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 31–51 record, which was a 13-game improvement over their inaugural season.
Scott Skiles averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 assists per game, and was named the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year, while Scott averaged 15.7 points per game, led the Magic with 125 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and Terry Catledge provided the team with 14.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. In addition, second-year guard Nick Anderson provided with 14.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Otis Smith contributed 13.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Jerry Reynolds provided with 12.9 points and 1.2 steals per game. Meanwhile, Jeff Turner averaged 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, Sam Vincent contributed 8.3 points and 4.0 assists per game, and second-year forward Michael Ansley provided with 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. On the defensive side, Kite averaged 4.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and Mark Acres contributed 4.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Scott participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout, while Smith participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the second time. Scott also finished in third place in Rookie of the Year voting, while Reynolds finished tied in sixth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting. The Magic finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 617,668 at the Orlando Arena during the regular season.
Notable highlights One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on December 30, 1990, in a home game against the Denver Nuggets at the Orlando Arena. Skiles scored 22 points, and also set an NBA record of 30 assists in a single game, as the Magic defeated the Nuggets, 155–116.
Aftermath Following the season, Ansley was released to free agency.
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team 1 4 Dennis Scott SF Georgia Tech
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot
z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot
Game log
Player statistics
Regular season PlayerC82 82 2,225 588 59 25 81 395 27.1 7.2 .7 .3 1.0 4.8SG82 73 2,336 235 134 62 25 1,284 28.5 2.9 1.6 .8 .3 15.7SG 80 9 1,843 299 203 95 56 1,034 23.0 3.7 2.5 1.2 .7 12.9PG 79 66 2,714 270 660 89 4 1,357 34.4 3.4 8.4 1.1 .1 17.2SF 75 39 1,885 389 169 85 35 1,044 25.1 5.2 2.3 1.1 .5 13.9PF 71 43 1,683 363 97 29 10 609 23.7 5.1 1.4 .4 .1 8.6SG 70 42 1,971 386 106 74 44 990 28.2 5.5 1.5 1.1 .6 14.1C 68 0 1,313 359 25 25 25 285 19.3 5.3 .4 .4 .4 4.2SF 67 1 877 253 25 27 7 379 13.1 3.8 .4 .4 .1 5.7PF 51 38 1,459 355 58 34 9 745 28.6 7.0 1.1 .7 .2 14.6PG 49 17 975 107 197 30 5 406 19.9 2.2 4.0 .6 .1 8.3PG 34 0 350 17 73 24 0 113 10.3 .5 2.1 .7 .0 3.3†PF 8 0 136 37 3 3 5 43 17.0 4.6 .4 .4 .6 5.4C 2 0 13 4 0 0 0 0 6.5 2.0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Awards and records Scott Skiles – Most Improved Player Dennis Scott – All-Rookie 1st Team
References
External links 1990-91 Orlando Magic Statistics