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Some would guess Nikola Vucevic was playing with a chip on his shoulder. Imagine what the box score could have looked like if he actually harbored ill will.
Vucevic scored a season-high 35 points against his former team on Tuesday in the Magic’s 124-115 win over the Sixers. Then he had nothing but positive things to say about them.
“It’s always nice to come back here and play in this arena,” Vucevic said. “I met a lot of great people here. Everybody was great towards me. I have a lot of good memories, no hard feelings when I come back here. I just enjoy coming back here, playing well and trying to win.”
The Sixers selected Vucevic with the 16th pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He appeared in 51 games, starting in only 15, while averaging 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 15.9 minutes. Vucevic played a total of three minutes (one game) in the Sixers' 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals run.
That summer, the Sixers traded him to the Magic in a four-team deal, which resulted in the Sixers' acquiring Andrew Bynum. Vucevic became a starter and a double-double threat. Now in his fifth season, he is averaging 17.2 points, 9.1 boards and 1.1 blocks in 32.1 minutes per game.
Vucevic began Tuesday’s game with 12 points in the first quarter. He finished shooting 13 for 21 from the field and 9 for 9 from the free throw line on Tuesday while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing four assists in 37 minutes (see game recap).
“He’s a big body, a great player, great post player, soft touch around the rim and he has that mid-range too, so you’ve got to get out on him,” Nerlens Noel said. “I should have done a better job early of not letting him get going, but he’s a great player."
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Vucevic scored 10 points outside of the paint, including three jumpers from 18 feet and one from 19.
“He hurts you in a bunch of ways,” Brett Brown said. “You saw him take Nerlens and Jahlil (Okafor) deep to the rim and post them deep. Our bigs got caught dead behind him. Then you see him pick-and-pop and efficiently make shots, make 18-, 20-foot jumpshots. He’s bigger and more physical than you think. He scores in a variety of ways. He’s having a great year.”
Vucevic chalked up his strong performance to playing big for an important game as the Magic try to make a second-half playoff push.
"Coach said it was a must-win game for us," he said. "I just wanted to be aggressive and lead the team from the beginning. I got going and I wanted to keep it up."