Orlando Magic Grades: Atlanta Hawks 105, Orlando Magic 98

The Orlando Magic’s fifth preseason game resembled a team lacking offense against a team predicted to make the 2017 playoffs. 

The Orlando Magic were going to find out just how good their defensive unit was in Sunday’s preseason game against the division-rival Atlanta Hawks.

The team gave starting center Nikola Vucevic and reserve small forward Jeff Green the night off, allowing Bismack Biyombo to ascend into the starting lineup for the first time. The Biyombo-Serge Ibaka duo would get its chance to shine defensively.

And for much of the game, the Ibaka-Biyombo duo were defensive beasts. The duo combined for seven blocks, including three straight possessions where the two swatted a shot. They were menacing and devastating on the defensive end.

But offensively, the Magic looked like they missed Green and Vucevic.

Orlando gave up a big lead in the first quarter and struggled to reclaim momentum as an undermanned Atlanta team scored a 105-98 victory at Amway Center on Sunday. The Magic never could get their offense completely right.

The eight first-half blocks though showed a glimpse of how special this group and specifically this tandem of Ibaka and Biyombo can be together. The Magic, despite giving up a big first-half lead once Ibaka and Biyombo exited the game, were in control.

The second half though started off embarrassingly slow offensively. The Magic had just two points in the first three minutes of the third quarter and the effort was admittedly lackadaisical.

For the most part the Magic did not do a great job on closing out on defenders at the 3-point line. The Magic allowed the Hawks, an average 3-point shooting team, to look like one of the best 3-point shooting teams in preseason. Atlanta made 10 of 27 from beyond the arc.

Although the Magic had double-digit blocks they failed to protect the paint in the end of the game as Tim Hardaway Jr. drove to the lane past Fournier for an easy lay up. Hardaway Jr. ended up closing out the Magic hitting two free throws on the Hawks next possession to put the eventual nail in the coffin.

Defensively this Orlando team is on its way to be the best rim protecting team in the NBA if Ibaka and Biyombo can stay healthy.

The defense looked great, but the Magic have a long way to go to try to figure out how to get everyone involved on a team lacking a point guard who can get everyone involved consistently.

Aaron Gordon had a terrible game tonight, but a large part of that is because he is a player that thrives off of a lob or a fast break pass. He will have a rough year if his individual game hasn’t gotten any better.

It is hard to be extremely critical about the offensive production of a Magic team that played a game without Vucevic and Green. But the Magic needed certain players to step up offensively in their absence.