The Orlando Magic know who they are.
They are not trying to outscore anybody. Three-point shooting is a constant adventure for them. They are not the traditional team that lives at the top of the standings, it seems.
Sure, Franz Wagner is putting up impressive and All-Star-like numbers. They need every single one of those counting stats.
But this is a team built on its defense. That is what defines them. That is their bread and butter.
It is not in the Franz Wagner pull-up jumpers or darts to the rim. It is in plays like the one in the third quarter when the Magic needed some energy and Goga Bitadze blocked Royce O’Neal at the rim leading to a fast-break that finished with Anthony Black feathering one of his career-high nine assists to Wagner for a two-handed jam.
It is in Jalen Suggs chasing down Tyus Jones from behind and sending a shot out of bounds. It is in Tristan Da Silva stonewalling a play as the low man. Or Black darting in for a steal as the Suns tried to get out of the hole.
The Magic’s defense is the attraction, an amorphous and swarming blob of arms and intensity that few teams have found a way to deal with.
“Every night it’s who we are,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Defense travels. Whether we’re making shots or missing shots, we have to make sure we are guarding the right way, defending the right way, communicating the right way. I think defense set the tone early for what we wanted to do, got us some easy baskets. We have to continue to sustain that effort.”
The Magic have now given up fewer than 100 points in six straight games. It is the first defensive streak of that kind since the 2018 season. It is the first time the Magic have had a six-game streak holding opponents to less than 100 points since the 2016 season.
Considering the explosion of NBA offenses, it is a feat worth celebrating and noting. The Magic’s defense has been otherworldly.
Orlando ranks second in the league in defensive rating, giving up 103.9 points per 100 possessions. That trails only the Oklahoma City Thunder this season.
Monday’s 109-99 win over the Phoenix Suns was not even a particularly strong defensive game. Orlando gave up 16 offensive rebounds or 20 second-chance points. The team’s 110.0 defensive rating was its worst since the loss to the Indiana Pacers, their last loss before this six-game win streak.
They still held Devin Booker and Tyus Jones to a combined 35 points and 12-for-31 shooting. Orlando was stifling, willing to bet that other players could not fill in for the injury-depleted Suns.
The Magic have set a high bar for their defense. That is the expectation for everyone to defend at a high level. That is the essential part of the team’s identity.
Especially with star forward Paolo Banchero out, the Magic had to lean on this identity even more. The defense is shining as it always has. That was always how the Magic would not only survive but thrive.
And right now, the Magic’s defense is doing more than any of that. It is a force to be reckoned with.
