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Injuries forcing Orlando Magic to rally in down times

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Nov 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) drives toward the net as Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Canaan (0) defends during the second quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) drives toward the net as Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Canaan (0) defends during the second quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NBA schedule does not care what issues a team is going through. The Orlando Magic have another major guard injury to deal with to stay afloat.

As the Orlando Magic have begun to spiral down in the standings and are searching for a way to right the ship, more adversity keeps being thrown in their way.

Injuries have dominated the Magic’s story in the backcourt recently. C.J. Watson has been out since Nov. 9 with a calf injury that just will not heal. Elfrid Payton has been facing nagging injuries since spraining his ankle against Portland on Dec. 18.

Now the latest is from Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo will be out Monday’s game with a sprained right knee suffered when he took a charge in the fourth quarter on Bismack Biyombo in Thursday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors in London. There is no timetable for his return and when he will play again will be dependent on how he responds to treatment.

Oladipo said he felt a little pain right away when he took that charge but was able to play through it on adrenaline. An MRI later revealed the sprain.

“I’m all right,” Oladipo said after practice Sunday. “It’s part of the game. Day by day right now. Just really basing it on how my body responds to treatment.

“It is what it is,” Oladipo added. “It’s a part of the game. A lot of the game is mental. At the end of the day, I’m going to go out there and play as hard as I can and play with the same confidence no matter what.”

If that was not enough, not even the coach was spared from some type of ailment. Scott Skiles missed practice Sunday with an illness. He joined the team at the airport as the team flies to Atlanta to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

The Magic are a bit of the walking wounded right now, particularly at the guard spot. And it could not come at a worse time.

The Magic just got Payton back from a pair of sprained ankles and a bruised shin Thursday, bringing him off the bench. Shabazz Napier missed Thursday’s game with an illness (although he should be ready to play Monday).

Orlando did bring back some guard reinforcements. The team will recall Devyn Marble from Erie and will sign Keith Appling.

For Oladipo, the injury could not have come at a worse time. He had just seemingly turned around his poor play from the beginning of the season, picking up his scoring and shooting efficiency. In the past five games, Oladipo is averaging 20.4 points per game, shooting 53.7 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from beyond the arc.

All of his shooting numbers were up, and he had picked up his scoring. Being in the starting lineup the last five games certainly helps. It is unclear whether this momentum would stop.

Devyn Marble, Orlando Magic
Nov 29, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Devyn Marble (11) drives during the second half of a basketball game against the Boston Celtics at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

“We believe in every single one of our guys,” assistant coach Adrian Griffin said. “If you’re in the NBA, you can play. It’s the next man up. That’s been our whole approach. Every guy on the team is a professional, and they work very hard. In 82 games, that happens. You’re going to get your shot. I always tell my guys just to stay ready.”

That is very much the mentality the team has to take to rally around and continue pushing forward through the constant obstacles in front of it. The NBA schedule is not going to give the Magic any relief as they return to the grind of the season.

Orlando has lost seven of it last eight games. The team has fallen outside the Playoff picture and sits one game above the .500 mark. There is a sense the team needs to turn things around quickly to stay in this congested Eastern Conference Playoff race.

The Magic are not out of it by any means. But every game holds a lot of value. And the Magic are seeking to get back to the consistency they showed defensively earlier this year.

Losing Oladipo is tough at this point because Oladipo was playing so well and because the team has faced so many injuries.

Payton will now have to be back in the starting lineup, whether he is ready to or not — Payton said he should be ready to get fully released to play his normal minutes now and Griffin said Payton had a good practice and will be evaluated again before the game. Shabazz Napier and Mario Hezonja will have to fill in behind Evan Fournier and Payton. The recently called up Marble and Appling also likely play a role.

The Magic built their roster to have some versatility for exactly these moments. But there is no denying it will be a different dynamic.

Related Story: Magic to sign Keith Appling to 10-day contract

“Next man up,” Payton said. “Everybody here is a professional. Everybody here works on his game. We have no problem with the next man coming in and knowing he will be ready to step in.”

The Playoff picture is far from the Magic’s mind at this point. There are too many floating variables and inconsistencies to worry about to think about stretches of the schedule or games back.

The Magic, through all these injuries as much as anything, have to focus on the next game in front of them. And simply survive at this point to grow.

“A lot of guys are stepping up and playing well,” Oladipo said. “We have a lot of versatile guys who can play a lot of different positions. We’ve just got to focus on getting everybody healthy and focus on winning.”