UNC Basketball: Cole Anthony sensational in Magic win over Jazz

Former UNC basketball player Cole Anthony matches personality with star-power, leading the Magic to a big victory over the Jazz and giving another sensational post-game interview.

Cole Anthony has already made a name for himself in the city of Orlando, but he continues to put the entire NBA on notice with performances like the one he gave the Magic on Sunday night.

For the second time in the span of a week, Anthony scored more than 30 points in a game that led to an Orlando Magic victory. Last week, it was a 31-point, nine-rebound, eight-assist gem against the Minnesota Timberwolves in which he knocked down a half-dozen three-pointers and 9-of-11 at the free throw line. Against the Utah Jazz on Sunday night, Anthony gave the Magic a season-high 33 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals en route to a 107-100 home victory.

Anthony connected on 13-of-20 shots from the floor, and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. He also hit both of his free throw attempts — which came with just 18.2 seconds remaining in the game and sealed the win for Orlando — and turned the ball over just twice despite the heavy usage in his 32 minutes of play. That’s right, Anthony actually had more points than minutes logged on the court on a night that the Magic needed every one of them to topple Donovan Mitchell and the now 7-3 Jazz.

Speaking of Anthony’s trip to the free throw line in the game’s waning moments, it was then that chants of “M-V-P, M-V-P” could be heard from the more than 13,000 fans on hand at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando. And while Anthony, himself, admits that it’s too early for that level of praise, it’s understandable after what the former Tar Heel has shown them in recent weeks. And considering the second half Anthony had against the Jazz — he poured in 24 points total and had 10 in the decisive fourth quarter — it’s easy to see why fans were eager to show him love.

And not only do they love him for his ability to score in bunches and put the team on his back, but also for his contagious personality and spunky attitude and fearless desire to win. He showed all of that in another outstanding post-game interview following the sensational performance, an opportunity that he took to credit just about everyone on the team and in the crowd, rather than himself.

Facts.

Another fact about Anthony’s tremendous performance on Sunday night was that he hit a shot over arguably the league’s best defender in Rudy Gobert that gave the Magic a 100-98 lead with less than 90 seconds remaining. He hit another mid-range jumper just 30 seconds later, followed by the two free throws that iced the game, capping off a second-half clinic that topped the scoring output of any other player on the court for the entire game.

Anthony, now 11 games into his sophomore season in the NBA, is averaging 20.2 points per game and shooting better than 40 percent from three-point range. Add to that his 7.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, and his 84 percent free throw accuracy, and Anthony is making an early case for All-Star status. He’s also making his hometown New York Knicks and their fans second-guess passing up on him at pick No. 8 of the 2020 NBA Draft in favor of Obi Toppin.

For all the latest on Cole Anthony, and former UNC basketball players in the NBA, check back with Keeping It Heel.