Magic News: James Borrego Sticking With Elfrid Payton Despite Free-Throw Struggles

Orlando Magic rookie guard Elfrid Payton goes through some majorly troublesome stretches when it comes to free-throw shooting, but interim coach James Borrego maintains that he'll stick with Payton even if teams start to hack him to gain an advantage.

"I'm not going to take him out if they keep hacking him," Borrego said following the team's 95-88 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday, via the Orlando Sentinel.

Payton was the team's heart and soul in the loss, finishing with team highs in points (20) and assists (9). However, Payton went just 4 of 15 from the foul line -- prompting the Boston Celtics to purposely foul him in the third quarter to send him to the charity stripe.

"The last few games, I've been shooting my free throws real well," Payton said following the game. "It was just a tough night from the free-throw line. No excuses."

The 2014 NBA Draft lottery pick has hit on just 52.8 percent of his free throws in 2014-15. He hit on 61.1 percent of his foul shots in his three seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette.

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