Orlando Magic looking to build momentum into break

The Orlando Magic are on a two-game win streak and hoping to get into the All-Star Break on a positive note with a third win and maybe a return to the court.

Time/TV:

7 p.m./FSFlorida

Line:

Spurs by 8

Season Series:

in San Antonio on Feb. 1; Tonight in Orlando

This is probably not the ideal opponent for the Orlando Magic to face now that they seemingly have some confidence and belief in what they are doing following two straight wins against the Atlanta Hawks. The San Antonio Spurs have that momentum-killing ability.

The Magic though have to soldier on. The schedule is what it is and there is a game in front of them before the long All-Star Break coming up this weekend.

Momentum is truly the next day’s pitcher. All the good vibes of the past two games can easily come to a halt with a dud of a performance Wednesday ahead of the long, eight-day All-Star Break.

“We’d like to play well tonight for a good 40-plus minutes of the game,” coach Scott Skiles said. “We didn’t do that in either Atlanta game, but won them both. So that’s great. We just need to have a good game. This is always a tricky game. You never know what you are going to get. Some teams check out already, mentally gone and already on break. And others aren’t and understand they need to play this game and how important it is.”

Certainly there is a renewed confidence about this team having finished two close games and earned a pair of victories. After losing 15 of 19 games since the beginning of the year, even players had to admit their confidence wavered some.

Fournier said to win games, a player needs to have confidence in himself and in the team — both teammates and the system. That had to waver some in losing all but two games in January.

Aaron Gordon noted the team was very calm throughout the game and at the end of games. That helped the team get the extra bit it needed to win. Getting a win over the Spurs, he said, would be a big momentum-builder for this team.

The team is far from where it needs to be. As Skiles noted, the team did not put together 40-plus solid minutes of regulation basketball in either win. The first quarter Monday was a disaster that saw the team fall behind by 20 points and the fourth quarter Sunday saw the team make numerous late-game mistakes to put a comfortable lead in serious doubt.

In both instances, the Magic made bad plays but also good ones, finding a way to end up on top on the end.

The Magic were better, there is no doubt about that, and began resembling how they played earlier in the season. But there is still plenty to work on.

“I feel like we just had our rhythm and cockiness back for two games,” Evan Fournier said. “It felt great, I won’t lie, but we can’t be satisfied. We’ve got to keep going and keep playing this way. We can really do it. We played great at the beginning of the season. We’ve just got to stay focused.”

That has always been a concern with this Magic team. They have had many inconsistencies throughout the season. They never seem quite to put together the same level of performance each game.

The rumors flying around the team have been pretty rampant. The focus turning quickly on an impact veteran to help the team get over the top in many ways.

They could be getting a veteran back into their lineup tonight though that could help bring some of that stability.

Scott Skiles said at shootaround there “might be a C.J. sighting tonight,” indicating C.J. Watson could be available to play Wednesday against the Spurs for the first time since Nov. 9 in Indiana. Whether or not Watson plays, his return appears very imminent and almost certainly could occur after the All-Star Break.

While Watson was struggling to shoot the ball, the Magic did play well with his balanced play on the floor. The Magic had a 104.2 offensive rating and a 94.9 defensive rating with Watson on the court in the first eight games. With Watson off the floor, the Magic’s net rating drops to -2.9 points per 100 possessions.

The Magic have been better with Watson on the floor and worse with him off the floor in the small sample size that he has played so far. His return would be good for this Magic team.

Related Story: OMD Podcast: All-Star Game with Carson Ingle

“We felt like even though he didn’t know down a ton of shots in camp or early on, he was in good lineups for us,” Skiles said. “He was settling us down. We really missed him.

Fournier said Watson is a good presence in the locker room and a very good backup point guard. The team just has to make sure he is healthy as he returns.

That ability to settle the second unit down specifically could certainly help the Magic moving forward. It is almost something the team requires right now with some of the struggle it has had.

The Magic though will likely be without Tobias Harris for a third straight game. The break should help him recover and many of the Magic’s other players recover from various bumps and bruises.

Regardless of the result of Wednesday’s game, the Magic feel like they have started coming out of this rut and are beginning to turn some type of corner. Finishing the last two games seems like some sign of that.

Next: Looking to the core: Who are the Orlando Magic's core players?

“I feel like a couple weeks ago we might have lost those two games,” Victor Oladipo said. “We ended up growing and coming out with a win, I think that’s big. It shows our character and our growth. We’ve just got to build on it.”