Orlando Magic’s shooting guard J.J. Redick misses sixth consecutive game
Orlando Magic’s shooting guard J.J. Redick missed his sixth consecutive game of the season 2010-11, due to a muscle ache in his lower abdomen.
Redick had been declared able-bodied according to his latest MRI reports; however the Magic management is not taking any risks and wants him to recover fully before
taking part in a game. Orlando’s officials have advised him to take full rest in order to benefit the team in the longer run.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said on Friday morning, "I think that our major concern is that we have him back totally healthy at playoff time. Obviously, we would like
him to get some games back under his belt before then, but there are still 13 of them to go. So if we have to go another week or whatever to get him back in there, I think the important thing now is that when he comes back he's 100 percent healthy and ready
to go."
The gratifying news for the Magic fans however, is that dazzling J-Rich, a nick name by which Redick is commonly known, did some practice at Quicken Loans Arena for
about 30 minutes before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Orlando’s head athletic trainer, Keon Weise supervised him throughout the practice session, keeping an eye on each of his movements. Redick did some running, shooting and received few bounce
passes.
Orlando’s performance in the absence of Redick is not bad at all as they have gone 3-2. Prior to lay-off, Redick was averaging 10.1 points in 25 minutes and per game.
In addition to that, he was averaging 39 percent from 3-point range.
Redick’s best game of the season came on December 14, when he came off the bench with a career-high 29 points and five rebounds in a 111-94 victory over the Denver
Nuggets. He shot 6-of-9 three-point-shots on that night and also went 5-of-7 from the free-throw line.
The absence of J.J is no doubt a loss for Orlando, as they are without one of their three point specialists. His return to the squad soon would be helpful for the
Magic to continue their excellent run in the Eastern Conference this season.
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