Orlando Magic fans have seen the competitive and confident side of rookie Cole Anthony plenty this season. But Anthony took it up a notch following Saturday’s game-winning 3-pointer against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Anthony was especially fired up when he provided a memorable postgame interview with the Bally Sports Florida’s Dante Marchitelli.
“I do this. I was meant for this,” Anthony began.
Then his train of thought was interrupted by some celebratory chocolate milk spray from teammate Markelle Fultz.
Anthony took it all in stride.
That’s how it goes when you’re a rookie with two game-winning shots on your résumé and developing a reputation for being clutch in crunch time.
Anthony beat the Timberwolves on Jan. 20 with a buzzer-beating 3 in front of the Magic bench that snapped a six-game losing streak and set off a wild celebration. He also came up big down the stretch in Wednesday’s 109-104 win in Cleveland with 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Anthony said he lives for crunch time and wants to be the one making a play that leads to a victory.
“I want that ball,” Anthony said after Saturday’s 112-111 win over the Grizzlies. “I want to go get it for my team, whether that means making the right play to get it to someone else for them to get a bucket or if that means going to take it and making a big shot. I just want to get that W for the team.”
Dillon Brooks sank a contested 18-footer over Dwayne Bacon to beat the shot clock and give Memphis a 111-109 lead with 7.0 seconds left.
That set up the final sequence. Anthony inbounded, then got the ball back from Bacon. Anthony dribbled to his right, then came back left and pulled up to shoot over the outstretched arm of the 6-foot-9 Kyle Anderson. The shot went through with 0.1 seconds left.
“That was an awesome moment right there,” Anthony said.
Newly-signed big man Moritz Wagner hasn’t been around Anthony long but said the rookie has the right mindset for late-game heroics.
“He has the right amount of craziness in him,” Wagner said after Saturday’s victory. “I mean this in a positive way, when he’s aggressive he’s great. It’s a lot of fun playing with him. Sometimes you’ve got to calm him down a little bit but you’ve got to do the same with me so I understand that. And he’s ultra-competitive, so he just keeps playing, keeps fighting, regardless of how the game is going for him and I have a lot of respect for that, and it’s a lot of fun playing with him.”
Some Magic fans had fun with the chocolate milk episode.
Anthony is averaging 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 39 games this season.
