If there’s one factor the Orlando Magic can take away from their West Coast journey, it’s having a higher understanding of how skinny the margins are between profitable and shedding.
The Magic went 2-3 on the swing, with the ultimate three video games having a ultimate deficit of 4 or fewer factors: the 109-106 win over the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday, the 112-108 Friday loss to the Utah Jazz and Sunday’s 119-116 loss to the Denver Nuggets after Nikola Jokić’s game-winning 3-pointer.
When the Magic (16-28) traveled again to Central Florida on Monday, there was doubtless a sense they might’ve gone 4-1 on the journey.
The 136-111 on Jan. 9 defeat to the Sacramento Kings was the lone decisive loss they confronted. But there’s additionally a world during which their lone win of the journey might have been their 115-101 Jan. 7 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Those had been simply how skinny the margins had been and proceed to be for a younger workforce just like the Magic.
“It’s going to continue to be about growth for our guys,” coach Jamahl Mosley stated Sunday. “Helping them understand this situation — this is a great test for us and our guys to understand what it takes to get over the hump.”
The Magic aren’t strangers to enjoying in clutch conditions — minutes when the scoring margin is inside 5 factors with 5 or fewer minutes remaining in a recreation.
They’ve performed in 23 video games that includes clutch minutes, tied for the Tenth-most within the league.
The Magic have gone 8-15 in these video games however have proven progress currently, going 5-4 of their final 9 video games that includes clutch minutes after struggling earlier within the season.
Playing in shut video games offers essential studying moments, particularly for a younger workforce just like the Magic. The classes from this journey must be how the efficiency early in video games can have an effect later.
“We’re not going to be a team that gives up,” guard Markelle Fultz stated. “No matter [if] we’re up 20, [or] down 20, we got to play the same way throughout the whole game. We’re starting to build that and understand what it takes to win and continuing to play hard.”
The Magic fought again from double-digit second-half deficits, and finally took late leads, of their losses to the Jazz and the Nuggets.
They struggled early with defensive rebounding and protecting the Jazz off the free-throw line. Against the Nuggets, the defensive depth and paint assaults weren’t on the ranges they wanted to be to win.
The Magic locked in on the main points within the second halves of each video games to gasoline their comebacks. The lesson is that executing these particulars earlier can result in extra favorable outcomes — wins.
“They came out in the third quarter [and] took the challenge on of what our coaches talked about defensively,” Mosley stated after Sunday’s loss. “And then they executed down the stretch. Each man contributed. They did a great job sharing the basketball, defending and guarding. If we can understand we have to play that hard each night, we have to defend that well like the second half each night, we give ourselves a chance.”
The Magic received’t play once more till Friday after they host the New Orleans Pelicans at Amway Center.
Rookie ahead Caleb Houstan on Monday was assigned to the workforce’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, the workforce introduced. Lakeland performs highway video games in opposition to the Sioux Falls Skyforce Tuesday and Thursday. Houstan will doubtless play in Tuesday’s recreation.
The Magic additionally introduced Jonathan Isaac will stay on G League task with Lakeland. He’ll doubtless play in Lakeland’s Thursday highway recreation in opposition to the Skyforce.
Isaac, who performed for Lakeland on Wednesday for his first official basketball recreation in 892 days, has suited up twice for the G League squad as a part of his return-to-play course of with the NBA workforce. He’s averaged 14.5 factors (42.3% capturing), 7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 15.7 minutes.
When Isaac performs for the NBA workforce for the primary time in 2½ years has but to be decided.
Isaac missed the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons and half of this season since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Aug. 2, 2020 — greater than 29 months since his final recreation motion earlier than Wednesday.
But enjoying for Lakeland is an encouraging signal that he’ll be suiting up for Orlando within the close to future.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or comply with him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com