The Orlando Magic are not whole. It is important to remember that.
Injuries have gutted the roster and given Jamahl Mosley few options to correct things or try things when something is not working. The margin for error is small – the team has acknowledged how small it is – and bad games by the wrong players can have disastrous results.
That is what happened in the Magic’s 122-93 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
Orlando saw its star Paolo Banchero struggle to process and break down the defense with seven turnovers in his third game back from a two-month absence with a torn right oblique. The Magic could not find another player to step up their scoring. There was no other way for the team to get into the paint.
And so the Magic settled for threes. They went 12 for 46 from three and scored only 32 points in the paint. The Bucks had 54 points in the paint.
With the Magic battered with injuries and unable to find their energy, their poor shooting was on full display. That is no surprise. Only the result and the effort were surprising. This was not Magic basketball.
“That wasn’t our standard,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That wasn’t Orlando Magic basketball. Not even close. We’ll have to talk about it and figure out what it was that didn’t allow it to be that but it wasn’t Orlando Magic basketball. The great part about this group is they always find a way to bounce back.”
Both Mosley and Wendell Carter simply described Wednesday’s game as a “butt-whooping.” Games like that happen in the league – it was just the fifth game this season where the Magic lost by more than 20 points, although there were a few late rallies that prevented blowout losses.
It does not make them easier to digest. And a recent poor showing against the Utah Jazz now gives some pattern to regular energy-less games. This is a team that uses its energy to cover up for its weaknesses. And the team could not overcome them.
The question then becomes what does this all mean?
Milwaukee pulled ahead of Orlando in the standings with three games in hand. The Bucks likely hold an actual one-game lead for the 4-seed and they have now clinched the season series.
The Magic have now lost seven of their last 11 games and have not won consecutive games since Christmas. There is a reason Orlando has fallen back to the pack – leading the Indiana Pacers by 0.5 game for fifth and leading the 7th- and 8th-seeded Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks by one game at 21-19 – the Magic are now 23-19.
Orlando’s injuries have gutted the team and slowed their roll. This is a team running out of steam as it tries to climb uphill constantly.
The Magic have been here before though. Orlando similarly lost nine of 14 games after Christmas last year to fall to 22-20 as injuries and illnesses gutted the team. The Magic were eight in the East at that time.
Orlando recovered from all those injuries and rallied to get to the fifth seed. Every team has their low points in the year. This is as low as the Magic have been this season.
That does not make anyone feel better today. Orlando did not play its style or anything close to it in the loss to the Bucks. The Magic felt overwhelmed by the absences and injuries they are facing.
They still have to find a way.
