Fourth quarter problems soften as Orlando Magic continue to grow

The Orlando Magic lost Friday’s game to the Toronto Raptors. But their fourth quarter issues continue to soften as confidence grows at the end of the season

Victor Oladipo was kicking himself in the locker room for the one mistake he made late in the game.

The deciding play was quite possibly his responsibility, and he knew it, even well after the final buzzer sounded on the Orlando Magic’s 101-99 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Amway Center on Friday.

DeMar DeRozan caught the inbounds pass with time ticking away and the Magic holding a one-point lead. Nikola Vucevic switched on him as he curled around the Jonas Valanciunas screen and cut him off in the paint. Oladipo dug down off of Lou Williams to help.

That was the mistake. Maybe Vucevic needed the help, maybe Oladipo should have trusted him more or whatever. The play was made. Williams popped open in the corner, DeRozan delivered the pass and Oladipo was too late to contest.

That was the play that ate up Oladipo after the game. Not the rushed shot at the end of the game (the Magic had no timeouts to draw up a play) that could have reversed the tables. Another one had slipped through the Magic’s hands.

This one was different.

Sure, Orlando missed some open shots at critical times and Evan Fournier stepping out of bounds was reminiscent of some of the yips the Magic have displayed late in games.

But the confidence from closing out the Bucks and the Bulls in the last two games was evident too. Particularly in the decision Oladipo made before ducking in and opening that 3-pointer.

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Thunderous Intentions

The Magic had the ball after calling their final timeout and got Oladipo the ball at the top of the key. He surveyed the floor and rose up for a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left. Conventional wisdom would say Oladipo should have run down the clock and ensure his team got the final shot.

Instead, he took his opportunity and made the most of it, seemingly becoming the hero.

This was not necessarily planned, but it was a decision coach James Borrego left to his budding young star to make.

“It’s part of his growth,” Borrego said. “I love the shot. We’ll continue to put the ball in his hands. He made a big time shot tonight. I trust our defense. I didn’t feel like we had to run out the clock to get the last shot. I’m fine with that shot. We could have gotten a stop there at the end, we would have won the game.”

Trust, Oladipo said after the game is a powerful thing and has added to his confidence in late-game situations. And with all the late-game flubs and missteps throughout the season, a little confidence is exactly what the team needed.

Particularly against the Toronto Raptors, a team that has won all 11 games played between these two teams in the past three years, the fourth quarters have been a huge thorn in their side.

This season, in the four games against the Raptors, the Magic posted a 79.8 offensive rating and 111.7 defensive rating in the fourth quarter. Orlando had blown fourth quarter leads against the Raptors this season and had seen a close game turn into a blowout.

However in Friday’s game, the Magic never lost contact with the Raptors and seemed capable of matching the physicality and go punch-for-punch with one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.

The Magic posted a 98.1 offensive rating in Friday’s fourth quarter with a 98.3 defensive rating. It was not enough to secure the win, but was a small sign of progress in a season that has gained some increasing meaning for a team looking to build some momentum.

“It would have been a lot better if we got the victory, but it shows a lot about our team,” Tobias Harris said. “We’re not giving up just because we are not in the Playoffs. We are fighting for something. With a young team like ourselves, that’s all you can ask for. We’re bringing a mindset every game that we want to win and we’re going to play hard.”

The Magic, overall have been better in the fourth quarter of late. The way the team fought against the Raptors and have fought in general these last few games has been something the team can grow on.

This season the team has an efficiency differential of -2.8 points per 100 possessions. During this four-game stretch (a small sample size), the Magic are +28.6 points per 100 possessions. In the final five minutes of games this season, the Magic are at a differential of -8.0 points per 100 possessions (101.4 offensive rating/109.4 defensive rating). The last four games, they are at +90.1 points per 100 possessions (165.6 offensive rating/75.6 defensive rating).

It is a small sample size, but the results are undeniable. Something has clicked and confidence is growing as the team faces the end of the season.

It has taken some time, but the learning has happened. And against this opponent especially, any results seems like progress.

And it feels like actual progress with time running out to make it.

“What it shows me is we are learning how to win,” James Borrego said. “We’re learning how to win games right now. We’ve put ourselves in the position — I believe it was tied entering the fourth quarter, we love that. We trusted each other. We felt very comfortable down the stretch. Got good looks. We had them on their heels defensively.”

Next: Orlando Magic drop heartbreaking 101-99 loss to Toronto Raptors