The Orlando Magic found themselves up late against the Washington Wizards in the season opener. That glimmer ended in a familiar way — a disappointing loss
The Orlando Magic have had a different energy about them. They have had a different attitude and expectation. They seem more determined than ever to put in the work and reap the rewards.
It is not going to be given. Not even by the basketball gods sometimes.
The Magic lost a five-point lead with 2:05 to go and had to scrounge to stay in the game. They held the Wizards off as long as they could until John Wall got out in the lane and hit a floater with 12.7 seconds left.
The Magic got the play they were looking for to secure a win.
Tobias Harris took the ball at the elbow and drove straight to the rim. He was able to get the ball up on the glass and onto the rim. It laid there tantalizingly close, a symbol of how close the Magic really might be to that important break through.
It rolled too long and fell off. Possibly it was goaltended by Marcin Gortat. The referees reviewed it and determined Gortat had touched it after it came off the rim. The Magic had 3.5 seconds and one last attempt to win the game. Nikola Vucevic‘s fadeaway jumper fell off the rim no good and the Wizards escaped with a 88-87 win at Amway Center over the Magic on Wednesday.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 87 | 89.8 | 43.5 | 27.8 | 18.4 | 29.8 |
| Orlando | 86 | 83.4 | 39.5 | 33.3 | 15.3 | 12.0 |
John Wall (WAS) — 22 pts., 7 rebs., 6 assts.; Bradley Beal (WAS) — 24 pts.
Victor Oladipo (ORL) — 17 pts., 11 rebs.; Tobias Harris (ORL) — 15 pts.
Things might be very different for this Magic team. There might be that new confidence and energy. Unfortunately, right now, there are the same results.
“It’s frustrating just to be that in the game and close in the game more than anything and not come up with the win is frustrating,” Harris said. “We just have to stay positive and bounce back and get ready for the next one.
“It’s one of those things just because we were in the scenario a lot last year, as a team we want to take a step out of that. We had a mental lapse especially in the fourth quarter in the last minute. It’s something we have to grow from.”
On the controversial goaltending call, crew chief Jason Phillips said once they made the determination to call goaltending and send it to video review, the officials in Secaucus, N.J., made the official determination. This is a new replay procedure implemented this year where certain replayed calls are not made at the arena site. The referees in Orlando did not have a say in making that call on review.
Phillips was also asked whether goaltending should have been called on Marcin Gortat for slapping the backboard. He said the rule is if the backboard is slapped and it does not cause an unusual bounce of the ball, by rule, it is a legal play. They felt it did not cause an unusual bounce and let the play stand.
Those little things certainly played a role in the final possession. And though the Magic again blew a late lead — Inpredictable put the Magic at a 91 percent chance of winning up five and two minutes to play — the whole outcome felt a bit different.
The Magic played far from perfectly. They were a bit jittery and sluggish at the start of both halves. There were plenty of opportunities for them to fall further and further behind or possibly concede the game like they may have in years past.
Orlando trailed for much of the third quarter fell behind by as many as nine points. But the team fought back and took an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
When the Magic were rolling, they were getting out in transition and moving the ball quickly from side to side. They found open jumpers (even if they did not always go in) and were able to get into the paint.
Orlando dominated in the paint, outscoring Washington 46-30 in the paint and getting 45 field goal attempts in the paint in total.
“We had our opportunities. Of our 26 3s, I’m sure I am going to look at it and 20 of them are just wide open. We did a nice job of moving the ball and we didn’t make them. We need to step up and make those shots.”
Orlando shot 5 for 26 from beyond the arc and had numerous players struggle to shoot the ball — Oladipo was 1 for 8 from beyond the arc and Evan Fournier missed all three of his attempts.
But they made up for it in other ways. Four of Elfrid Payton‘s 10 rebounds were offensive. Victor Oladipo had three offensive rebounds and Aaron Gordon had four.
The Magic were committed to defending too. After their slow start, they held the Wizards to 39.3 percent from the floor. Washington’s high-powered offense, by preseason standards at least, made just 7 of 28 3-pointers.
Orlando’s defense kept it in the game and kept Washington within striking distance. The Magic were never too far out of it. Even when they went through scoring droughts.
“I think the biggest positive is we were able to overcome adversity within the game,” Victor Oladipo said. “When they went on their runs, we came out and attacked them and got back into the game. I think the biggest negative is we still have some things to tighten up offensively and tighten up on defensively. But overall, I think we did well. We can play better, and I think our group knows that. A lot of positive things to say, but we’ve just got to make it happen now.”
All those silver linings are nice. They once again prove there is something there for the Magic to build on and grow from. A close loss that comes down to the random bounce — or non-bounce — of the basketball.
Games come down to executing and keeping composure. And there, once again, the Magic did not find the formula and did not find the composure and trust to stick to their offense and win the game at the end.
The Magic still have to improve that aspect of their game. And so despite all the positive energy and the potential that flashed yet again, everyone goes home unhappy and disappointed on opening night.
“We wanted it,” Harris said. “Part of being a good team is you have to learn how to win these games and win tight games like this. It’s something we have to take from it and grow from it.”