Power Rankings Roundup: Orlando Magic back to bottom five

Power Rankings Roundup: Back to the bottom five

Jan 9, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris (12) drives the lane as Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin (17) and forward Tarik Black (28) defend in the second half of the game at Staples Center. Lakers won 101-84. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Chris Kaman

Jan 10, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers center Chris Kaman (35) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

Marc Stein, ESPN.com:

Previous: . Atlanta Hawks. 1. team. 125. .

. Previous: 27th. Boston Celtics. 27. team. 18.

team. 38. The first meaty story about Jacque Vaughn’s job security is out in the wake of six straight L’s for the Magic and a 3-10 funk since their Week 7 rise to No. 17. Makes it tough to spend too much time on <strong><a href=. . Previous: 26th. Orlando Magic. 28

team. 86. . . Previous: 29th. Minnesota Timberwolves. 29

Eek, that is looking pretty bad. The worst team in the NBA not named the Timberwolves, who snapped a 15-game losing streak Tuesday night, or the Knicks. The Sixers are steadily climbing at 26.

Vucevic is the lone bright spot as he leads the league in double doubles and has put together back-to-back strong performances. But before Saturday’s game, Vucevic posted 14.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game inhis previous five games. The awakening from Vucevic inside has certainly helped change Orlando’s fortunes.

It feels like the Magic’s success is tied to Vucevic’s success and aggression on a night-to-night basis.

Next: Drew Garrison, SB Nation