Orlando Magic still fighting to make defense constant
The Orlando Magic have risen to the top 10 in defensive rating. But the last two games have shown how precarious that position is for this team.
Every NBA team has a moment where they get humbled. There are simply too many games in an 82-game season for there not to be one off night. Last year’s 73-9 Golden State Warriors got beat by 18 points to the Detroit Pistons.
There will be nights when things just do not go a team’s way. Even at the very top.
When it comes to the Orlando Magic, though, every small deviation can be some cause for concern. The team is essentially a .500 team, precariously balanced between winning team and success and losing team and failure.
And this Magic team, particularly, still seems to be balancing on that knife’s edge.
Orlando has risen to be one of the top defenses in the league. But, as Frank Vogel likes to remind, the team still sits with a losing record and still has a long way to go.
Even coming off a difficult road trip and having to play a back to back at home, the Magic showed just how precarious that defense can be. Orlando is still fighting to make things consistent.
“When you watch guys play on the road, we play different,” Bismack Biyombo said. “We really rely on our defense. Tonight we tried to rely on our offense. It was one on one basketball. We got beat one one one. That includes everyone. At the end of the day, we have to do better.”
There is quite a difference between the Magic’s play at home, where the team is 4-7, to the road. The Magic came home from their road trip Wednesday and had their worst defensive game in nearly a month.
Orlando quickly rose to third in the league in defensive rating. But in the last two games, the Magic have fallen to 10th, giving up 102.1 points per 100 possessions overall. It is apparent how quickly things can slip.
In Tuesday’s win over the Washington Wizards, Orlando gave up 52 points to John Wall and a 109.9 defensive rating. That is one of the highest marks from the Magic in a few weeks. Wall, specifically was able to get into the paint and cause the Magic defense to collapse. Orlando gave up 64 points in the second half.
Their offense just carried the day.
That did not happen Wednesday.Wednesday, the Magic gave up a 122.2 offensive rating to the Celtics. They got outscored 68-37 in the second half. Boston attacked the Orlando defense and found open lanes. No play exemplified that quite like Jaylen Brown‘s dunk over Nikola Vucevic. He beat his man and Nikola Vucevic was late on the rotation.
That was not something that happened during the road trip.
“We just have to play better,” Vogel said after Wednesday’s loss. “Second night of back to back can’t be an excuse. Every team plays these situations. If we’re going to be a Playoff team, we have to win these games.”
On the road trip and for much of the past month, Orlando was the one dictating things, flying around and recovering throughout the road trip. Vogel said he hopes this is a team that can be a strong defensive team, holding teams to less than 100 points and winning games easily when they make shots.
It would seem Orlando understands who it is at this point. The Magic are a team that plays stifling defense. When the offense is clicking, the team can be pretty good. But that is not the expectation. The defense carries the day, giving the offense enough space to squeeze through and control deficits and leads.
That puts much of the onus on the defense to be stellar every game. So when the Magic have games like Wednesday when they let go of the rope, things can get pretty ugly.
Seeing Orlando fall in two games from third to 10th in defensive rating is concerning. But it is also an extremely small sample size. The Magic have not had consecutive bad defensive games like the last two nights in nearly a month.
“I think we did that some games before on this road trip,” Vucevic said Wednesday. “Tonight we didn’t do it [match the Celtics’ physicality]. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen. Most games our offense hasn’t been that great, but our defense was there to help us win games. I don’t think it will be an issue.”
While the Magic have spent a good chunk of this season playing some stellar defense — their 98.5 defensive rating since Nov. 11 is still the best in the league in that time — it always feels like the performances from the beginning of the season can arise again. Orlando has the capability of being both teams.
And with the team facing some fatigue, they reverted back to those poor habits. It makes the focus on Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets all the more important.
With a day off to travel, will the Magic be able to lock back into place and continue their positive momentum on defense? Or will the Magic fall back into those bad habits and fail to fight through physical and mental fatigue?
Next: Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: First Quarter Expectations
The Magic are still establishing their defense. Statistically, it appears to be there. But things can slip very quickly. Orlando will have its work cut out for it again to refocus and get its game back on track after two inconsistent efforts.