The message contained in the Orlando Magic’s locker room hasn’t modified.
So whilst they walked off the courtroom and left Amway Center after their dominant 128-102 win Sunday over the Detroit Pistons understanding their probabilities of making the play-in event diminished, they did so with out dropping sight of the larger image: improvement and development that may lengthen past this season.
“We put ourselves in a great position this year,” guard Jalen Suggs stated. “We had a slow start, but we bounced back, went on a winning streak, really played well and kind of just made a name for ourselves now. The Magic aren’t the Magic of last year where it’s, ‘We’ve got a free win coming in here,’ [or] ‘This team is in a complete rebuilding process.’ We’re winning now.”
The Magic’s win over the Pistons was their sixth victory in eight video games and their largest margin of victory this season.
They’re 29-25 since Dec. 5 — No. 11 within the league over that span — after beginning the season 5-19.
But outcomes from different Sunday matchups made each Magic recreation for the remainder of the common season must-wins to maintain their play-in hopes alive.
The Toronto Raptors (39-39) beat the Charlotte Hornets to make sure the Magic (34-44) couldn’t end the season greater than No. 10 within the Eastern Conference standings.
The Chicago Bulls (38-40) beat the Memphis Grizzlies to maneuver one recreation nearer to securing a spot within the play-in.
The Magic are 4 video games behind Chicago for the No. 10 seed within the East, however Orlando’s “magic” quantity is one, that means the Magic could be eradicated from play-in rivalry with the Bulls’ subsequent win or the Magic’s subsequent loss.
The Nos. 7-10 seeds in every convention compete within the play-in event for the Nos. 7 and eight spots within the playoffs.
The Magic, the lone staff within the East that’s at the moment exterior of the play-in that hasn’t been eradicated from postseason rivalry, play the Cleveland Cavaliers (49-30) Tuesday and Thursday at Amway Center.
The Bulls play the Atlanta Hawks in Chicago Tuesday. Both groups have postseason stakes on the road.
“Regardless, we’re going to continue playing to win,” Suggs stated. “I stated it final week earlier than our highway journey; I’ll say it once more: we’re not enjoying this recreation to simply go on the market. … We’re going out to win, night time in and night time out.
“We’re playing well. Continuing to keep that up, regardless of whether [the Bulls] win, don’t win … We’re going to continue to play to win, continue to fight for that spot. If we don’t get it, we don’t get it. If we do, play-in tournament, which would be great. But continue to do our thing.”
Orlando’s matchup in opposition to Cleveland will give the Magic one other alternative to play in opposition to a staff enjoying for one thing — playoffs seeding or qualifying — down the season’s stretch.
The Cavaliers are the No. 4 seed within the East however might transfer as much as No. 3 or fall to No. 5 relying on how they shut the season.
These kinds of video games, a number of gamers and coaches have stated, have helped their development.
“Continue to take it one game at a time, continue to get better [and] continue to compete,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley stated. “We’ve competed all year long. No matter the score, no matter what the circumstances are, we continue to compete night in and night out. How do we get better and how do we play our best style of basketball at this point in the season?”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com