Philip Rossman-Reich here, the host of the daily Locked On Magic podcast, with your daily Locked On Magic newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Magic and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Orlando Magic fall short missing so much
Jan 5, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard (13) drives to the basket as Utah Jazz guard Patty Mills (8) tries to defend at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Russell Lansford-Imagn Images | Russell Lansford/Russell Lansford-Imagn Images
After every game, the X account @NBAGameReport compiles all the tracking data from the previous night’s games and projects how many points the team was projected to score based on the team and league’s averages and what they actually scored during the game.
Sometimes they do better than expected. More often than not with the Magic, they do worse than expected. Especially with open shots.
Indeed, the report from Sunday’s 105-92 loss saw the Magic far underperform their typical shooting performance. The expected points from the Magic’s shot profile tallied 118 points. They would have beaten the Jazz by 12.
Those are just numbers though. They can go up and down, oscillating around the team’s average. The question following a game like Sunday’s is really: What happened? It is not just about the numbers even if coach Jamahl Mosley likely properly bet the team missed its share of wide-open looks – indeed according to NBA.com, the Magic shot 11 for 27 (40.7 percent) on wide-open 3-pointers.
There was something more at play. Something that nobody will admit or use as an excuse.
The Magic are missing a lot. The normal ways they create shots and score are not present. And it was abundantly clear that the Magic could not find the energy to create.
For the first time since the injuries hit the team, Orlando clearly looked undermanned. And the team could not find the energy to make up for the absences with Jalen Suggs out with a back strain.
“That’s not a reason, that’s not an excuse,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “You just have to go out and play the right way. And I think that’s a big portion of it. So regardless of what the case is -- who’s in the game, who’s not in the game -- you have to continue to play the right way. . . . We have to just sit down and guard the way we know how.”
The Magic have survived their rash of injuries to key players as much because of their identity as anything else. They play harder than everyone else and they get downhill to the basket and create extra possessions.
Orlando’s defensive numbers looked fine. Teams should be able to win when giving up 105 points. But with the Magic struggling to attack downhill and struggling to hit the 47 threes they took – just the seventh time this season Orlando has taken more than 45 3-point attempts in a game – every mistake felt bigger.
And eventually, the defense collapsed under the weight of the team’s offensive struggles. The Magic have largely avoided this all season. It finally hit them.
“We’ve said it from the beginning of the year, we don’t want to allow the offense to dictate our defense,” Mosley said. “And I think a little bit of that happened tonight. The shots were not falling. There were some wide-open, great looks, they didn’t go in. And I think you have to know that you can’t control that. But you can continue to control your effort, your energy, your line of communication with your teammates, knowing exactly what’s happening out there. They came in with some pop. That’s why they came in and took the game.”
That has been what the Magic have banked their whole season on. And that is what finally gave way in their loss to the Jazz.
But quite simply, it is hard to win when so many key players are struggling. It is hard to win when Cole Anthony is 5 for 14 and Tristan Da Silva is 3 for 11, including missing all four of his 3-pointers. Jett Howard led the team in shot attempts with 16, going 7 for 16 for a career-high 21 points. But he scored a lot of those at the end with the game decided.
The team still needs its key players to play well.
Sunday night, they just did not. The losses became too much for them to overcome and the Magic did not have an answer.
Jan 4, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) greets Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) before a game at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter/Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Casting a cursory eye up and down the standings this weekend, I noticed some appearances that made me take a second look. This went for teams for climbing and sliding. So, I’m introducing a potentially recurring feature called “Monday movers”, highlighting teams jostling and jockeying in the standings, likely bound to get more contentious as the season goes on.
San Antonio Spurs
What a thrill it must be for long-suffering Spurs fans to take a glance at the West’s top 10 and see their team there, after so many seasons spent hanging around the bottom of the conference. What a thrill it was for me, too!
It’s not all because of Victor Wembanyama, but the phenom did hit two milestones this weekend: he played his 100th NBA game and he turned 21. His in-game numbers are similarly worth celebrating.
He’s the first player since Shaquille O’Neal to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds before turning 21, and the 7th player in the last 45 years to score over 2,200 points (he’s scored 2,278) through his first 100 games. Other than Bill Walton and Brad Daugherty, Wembanyama’s the only other 7-foot center with 385+ assists before turning 21, though their first 100 games. He’s also put up more threes than Steph Curry did, with 225 to Curry’s 200 through their first 100 games.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Trades The Jimmy Butler vs. Heat saga escalated quickly: Here’s what we know. (ESPN)
Biz Amazon adds Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki to its inaugural studio coverage for the 2025-2026 season. (The Athletic)
Injury Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner is progressing well from his torn right oblique injury, but patience remains crucial in his recovery. Wagner feels “pretty good,” yet the team emphasizes caution. (Sports Illustrated)
Analysis The Orlando Magic struggled to find their energy without their sparkplug. The team’s dynamics suffered noticeably, impacting their performance on the court. (Orlando Magic Daily)
Prediction Several young players, including those from the Orlando Magic, are predicted to become NBA All-Stars by 2028. Future talents show promise for the team’s aspirations. (Bleacher Report)
Preview The Magic will face the Knicks at the Madison Square Garden at 7:30 PM ET. Read the preview.(NBA)
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
A Closer Look at Brice Sensabaugh’s Scoring Surge
Jan 5, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Utah Jazz guard Brice Sensabaugh (28) is interviewed by Seg Media reporter, Lauren Green following a game against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Russell Lansford-Imagn Images | Russell Lansford/Russell Lansford-Imagn Images
One of the most intriguing developments on Sunday came from the Utah Jazz, where rookie Brice Sensabaugh has suddenly burst onto the scene with a scoring explosion.
Sensabaugh dropped 27 points against the Orlando Magic, following up a 34-point performance in his previous outing. That’s a staggering 61 points over two games for a player who had been largely off the fantasy radar. His usage rate has skyrocketed to over 30% in these contests, and he’s been scorching hot from beyond the arc, hitting 12 of 17 three-point attempts.
However, before we rush to add Sensabaugh in all leagues, it’s crucial to examine the context of his breakout. The Jazz were missing several key players, including Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson. This opened up a significant opportunity for Sensabaugh to showcase his scoring prowess.
The sustainability of Sensabaugh’s production is questionable. His three-point shooting percentage is bound to regress, and when the Jazz get healthier, his minutes and usage are likely to decrease. That said, he’s shown enough to warrant consideration as a streaming option in deeper leagues, particularly when Utah is shorthanded.
Click the button below for more insights, including another Thunder player to keep an eye on for your fantasy roster.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Magic podcasts.
NBA East Squad: Can Defense Save the Orlando Magic Season? The Locked On NBA East Squad panel debates the Orlando Magic’s offensive woes, noting their league-worst three-point shooting percentage and discussing potential trade options to improve their offense without sacrificing their defensive identity. (470)
Orlando Magic hit a road block in their recovery in double OT loss to Miami Heat The Orlando Magic are feeling more whole with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner back and now Goga Bitadze back in the lineup. But after prolonged absences, they are all still working their way back into playing shape and regaining chemistry with their roster.
Orlando Magic’s Star Duo: Banchero and Wagner’s All-Star Potential The Orlando Magic’s stars in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner stepped up to lead the Magic to a win over the Detroit Pistons. They took over the game.
