The Orlando Magic are showing a lack of intensity and the lack of defense is making losses the inevitable outcome.
The Orlando Magic’s playoff hopes are quickly evaporating into thin air, and the team is beginning to lack intensity in its most recent games. There was a real sense the Magic were just going through the motions in their 121-108 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Tuesday night.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 108 | 110.4 | 50.0 | 37.5 | 16.4 | 22.0 |
| Dallas | 121 | 121.4 | 61.7 | 18.2 | 15.1 | 40.3 |
Ersan Ilyasova (ORL) — 22 pts., 10 rebs.; Nikola Vucevic (ORL) — 18 pts.
Wesley Matthews (DAL) — 21 pts.; Zaza Pachulia (DAL) — 17 pts., 10 rebs.
Dallas was patient in its attack and cultured a balanced scoring effort Orlando was unable to counter. The Mavericks had five players score 17 points or more, led by Wesley Matthews’ 21 points.
The Mavericks shot 55.8 percent from the field and knocked down 9 of 19 from 3-point range. The Magic were a step slow rotating on the Mavs on the perimeter and the Mavericks’ hot shooting covered a multitude of sins in what was an easy win for Dirk Nowitzki and company.
Dallas reeled off a 26-5 run in the second quarter and opened the second half on an 11-0 run, turning Orlando’s early lead completely around midway through the first quarter. Those two stretches were pretty much the difference in holding off a Magic team that never really looked as though it wanted the victory unless it would come easy on offense.
The Magic did shoot the ball reasonably well in hitting 45.1 percent from the field, but the Magic’s defensive effort really was what brought the loss in this one. There were chatters that the Magic may be interested in Chandler Parsons, and he had a pretty effective night scoring 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting while knocking down three triples.
The Mavericks are a smart, veteran team and it showed in their patience with the ball. Dallas assisted 27 of its 43 field goals in the game and Deron Williams led the team with six assists.
Orlando seemed reasonably capable of keeping pace in the first half, shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and getting out in transition. The defense was just too much of an impediment throughout the game.
It started with Aaron Gordon picking up two quick fouls and seeing the Magic’s early lead go caput. In the time between Gordon’s second foul and when he returned to the game, the Magic were outscored 31-15. It virtually took them out of the game.
And Gordon could not stay on the floor. As neither could Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton or Mario Hezonja. Already struggling with depth and with their defense — and the fouling was a part of the lazy defense — the fouling was just enough to snap the Magic in half.
The poor start to the second half just re-enforced all the bad things of the first, just without the offense to cover it up.
The point in the season in which fans begin to lose interest may have officially been signaled in the lethargic efforts that characterized the New York Knicks game on Friday and this performance tonight.
It is difficult for fans to rally behind a team that does not seem to care much about the details to win itself, and there is no way to interpret what the Magic did on the defensive end as a spirited, real effort.
At this point Scott Skiles may be losing patience as he waits for the team to do what it knows it has to do. But his team seems to have already lost heart.