Although the Magic has won 13 of their last 18 games, the five losses in this streak have been against teams participating in the NBA playoffs: Miami, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, new York And Indiana.
In total, half of Orlando‘s last 18 games have come against opponents in the top 10 in each conference, and Jamahl Mosley’s team has gone 4-5 against those teams.
Their last two losses against the Knicks (37-27) on Friday and the Pacers (36-29) on Sunday marked the first time that the Magic (37-28) had lost two in a row since January 22-26.
The positive news for Orlando? Its next four games, including Wednesday’s home game against the Nets (26-39), will feature teams with a record below .500.
The Magic have shown they can handle their business against bad teams – they’re 22-6 against opponents with a losing record this year – but the next step will be finding ways to win consistently against good clubs.
So far this season, Orlando is 15-22 against opponents with winning records and their last two losses came against teams in that category that it had already beaten multiple times this year (Magic went 3-1 against the Knicks and 2-1 against the Knicks). .the Pacers in their regular season series).
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This indicates that quality teams adapt to what Orlando wants to do on offense: attack the paint, share the ball, and limit turnovers. Figuring out how to counteract that will be key if the Magic want to succeed when the playoffs begin in April.
In the search for answers, there may be no better place to start than veteran forward Joe Ingles. That’s because the 36-year-old has played in 50 career playoff games, by far the most in the Magic locker room.
“There’s no other way for us than to watch it, learn it and really enjoy these film sessions,” he told reporters Sunday night in the Orlando locker room. “It’s probably not the worst thing.”
Although the Knicks and Pacers are two very different teams – Indiana plays at the second-fastest pace of 102.48 possessions per 48 minutes while New York plays at the slowest pace in the NBA at 96.42 by 48 minutes – both teams managed to stop what the Magic wanted. do in attack.
This was done by bombarding Orlando’s ball handlers and clogging passing lanes to trap the Magic in more isolation and late shooting situations while denying set plays in their half-court offense.
“That’s probably the way teams play us the rest of the year now,” Ingles said. “A few teams were able to blow stuff up and get us out.”
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Against the Knicks and Pacers, the Magic struggled to adapt in the game, even being dominated 64-47 in the second half against Indiana.
“Adjusting in the game is tough, but it’s something we’re going to have to learn to do,” Magic guard Cole Anthony said Sunday. “It’s something we need to recognize earlier and try to address it… Try to make something happen.”
“Even when we were down a little bit in the fourth quarter, we started playing a little more desperate, but the ball started moving a little more. That’s when we were able to have some success.
And Anthony is right. The Magic recorded 6 assists in the fourth quarter as they beat Indiana 26-25.
But it was too late after a third quarter in which Orlando recorded just 2 assists while being outscored 39-21 in the frame.
“We have to find a way to ignore the refs, focus on what the coach says,” Ingles said. “As we move forward, this is how playoff games end. A shot, a turnover, a defensive breakdown can make a huge difference.
“I’ve been in series that have been won and lost on a few possessions where the momentum completely changes.”
While two games don’t define an entire season — the Magic were still in fifth place in the East before Monday’s games — the two losses come at a time when every outcome matters in a cluster playoff race in which only two games separate the fourth and the eighth. seeds at the conference.
Ingles is confident in the Magic’s ability to adapt in the final 17 games of the regular season.
“We have a good group that is learning and responding,” he said. “It’s better that it happens now rather than 18 games in or whatever.”
Anthony added: “We have good guys and we will figure this out. We’ll figure this out.
Email Jason Beede at [email protected] or follow him on X, known as Twitter, at @therealBeede
