Orlando Magic get a little bit of offense, score big win

The Orlando Magic have desperately searched for an offensive formula. In defeating the San Antonio Spurs, they may have found one they can replicate.

Frank Vogel said for the last few days, he felt the Orlando Magic were relatively close to turning some kind of corner. They were a few plays here and a few plays there from winning games.

The defense had reached a point of relative consistency. The offense was still the thing holding them back. Orlando would go on a drought at the worst time, and the defense would be unable to sustain the chance for a win.

The Magic needed the simplest thing in the world to happen — to make shots.

Maybe more complexly to get into an offensive rhythm and put teams on their heels. Make them desperate to score and crack a defense that can throw rim protectors and length at them repeatedly.

Consistency is still some ways away. But the Magic showed they can beat anybody when they get their offense rolling. At long last, they did.

The Orlando Magic routed the San Antonio Spurs 95-83 at AT&T Center on Tuesday. Their defense was superb — the Spurs shot a season-low 36.8 percent and posted an 86.1 offensive rating. It was the Magic’s offense that proved the difference.

It looked how an offense should look.

The Magic posted a still below-average 99.7 offensive rating. They were not the picture of efficiency. There is still work to do. But Orlando scored a 107.0 offensive rating in the second half. The offense came alive finally.

But Orlando scored a 107.0 offensive rating in the second half. The offense came alive finally.

The Magic used their defense to generate offense, scoring 17 points off 19 turnovers. Orlando had 12 steals in the game. It helped the Magic get out in transition and catch the Spurs before their defense could get set.

This was exactly the formula Vogel and the Magic envisioned at the beginning of the season.

That is still a small percentage of all offense. The Magic have found some offensive success even when they struggled by getting out in transition like this. It is the half-court offense that has always been the Magic’s problem.

Orlando changed its lineup hoping to inject a little more offense. The results Sunday were mixed.

Early on Tuesday, the Magic looked stagnant as they always do, especially early in a 16-point first quarter. The ball stuck to one side of the floor, the team tried forcing plays into the paint without an outlet to relieve pressure or the ball stayed on the perimeter too long. The team’s pace was poor as the Magic were not looking to attack.

The Magic made a switch to their offense after those early struggles. Or, rather, the way they play their offense.

The standing around was gone. Orlando flowed into the offense through secondary transition. The play simplified, relying more heavily on pick and rolls. It allowed the point guards and ball handlers to attack quicker and get into the paint, dishing the ball back out to the perimeter.

The Magic made those shots finally and now could keep attacking in a more simplistic, aggressive manner.

The results speak for themselves.

D.J. Augustin had seven points and five assists. Evan Fournier had 13 points and seven assists (ignore the six turnovers for now, the Magic were hardly perfect). Elfrid Payton had 10 points, four assists and three steals.

Orlando did not rack up a ton of assists, but they were able to move and twist San Antonio defense, getting penetration and kicking it out.

The Magic shot 45.3 percent from the floor and 6 for 15 from beyond the arc. They had 25 assists on their 39 field goal makes.

Orlando did not stop attacking. Everything looked so simple. And the confidence only grew as Orlando made shot after shot.

The Magic did not let up or change back, except for a stray possession here or there.

They kept the ball moving into the paint off the dribble — or post ups to Nikola Vucevic, not to Serge Ibaka. They kept the ball moving out of the paint through the pass and around the perimeter to open shooters. And if the shot was not there, they attacked again. They filled and replaced the way an offense is supposed to play.

The Magic still had an offensive rating measured worse than a point per possession. They still scored only 95 points. And they made an inordinate amount of contested and tough shots. The offensive confidence was at an all-time high.

This was still the Magic finding a way. And doing so relatively efficiently.

With a defense that can hold even one of the best offenses to one of its worst games, the Magic did not need a whole lot. They just needed an offense that could score and be relied upon consistently.

That formula has been difficult to find early on this season. Not consistently at least.

Tuesday’s game represented the most consistent the Magic’s offense has been throughout the season. With the defense playing at a high level, at least.

Orlando found a more simplistic formula to scoring. The team found a way to pick up the pace in the half court and move the ball in ways to stress a defense. That has been the biggest challenge this season.

The Magic proved they can do it.

Consistency has been the biggest issue this season. Momentum is the next day’s pitcher.

Vogel’s belief without evidence that his team was close was rewarded. The Magic now have evidence of what they can be. And what they did Tuesday in San Antonio is exactly what they can be.

Next: Grades: Orlando Magic 95, San Antonio Spurs 83

Now they just have to do it again.