Orlando Magic hope to find themselves on the road now

The Orlando Magic failed to pick up some much-needed wins at home. They must now journey on a tough road trip to find their identity and some wins.

The Orlando Magic had a golden opportunity to pick up some momentum this Thanksgiving.

After returning from Milwaukee last Monday, the Magic faced the Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks. All teams with losing records and all teams the Magic surely could defeat. Players recognized the holiday homestand was an opportunity to build some momentum and reinforce the principles and identity the team had cultivated in the least few weeks.

The Magic certainly did not expect to lay a goose egg in those three games. And all went about the same way. The defense kept them in it, but the offense would not cooperate. Late-game execution fell apart and the Magic lost.

“We didn’t take care of home, so we need to come out here and be road warriors,” Aaron Gordon said. “That’s what we’re going to do.”

Now sitting at 6-11, the Magic’s season feels like it is starting to slip away. Fans are already wavering, disgusted and frustrated with the way the team plays on offense.

It is far too early to give up completely on the Playoffs and focus fully on the Draft.

But the first few weeks of December are always telling. This is when the Magic take their first big road trip.

The team will either come together or fall apart in the next week and a half as the Magic play five games on the road and then overlap into a difficult four-games-in-five-night stretch.

The Magic’s next eight games will make or break those Playoff dreams. There is still the chance to save everything.

“Sometimes a road trip can help, especially if you get a few big wins,” Nikola Vucevic said. “Obviously, we’re disappointed we didn’t protect our home court. We could have used this week to get three or four wins playing at home and build up some momentum going to the road trip. We didn’t get that done. There’s nothing we can do about it now. Maybe on this road trip, we turn things around and get huge wins. There’s nothing like winning on the road. It really does build huge confidence and build momentum.”

The road will not be easy. The games are manageable record-wise for the most part, but then again nothing is easy for the Magic at this point.

They start Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs (14-3). The Magic then travel to play the Memphis Grizzlies (11-6) and the Philadelphia 76ers (4-13) back to back. They close the trip against the Detroit Pistons (8-10) and the Washington Wizards (5-10).

On the road trip itself, the team plays only two teams with a winning record. The Magic have defeated the 76ers and Wizards already this season.

But the road trip is not the only difficult part. After playing the Wizards on Dec. 6, the Magic fly home for a back to back against the Boston Celtics (9-7). They then play a second back to back at the Charlotte Hornets (9-7) before a back to back against the Denver Nuggets (7-10) at home to close this difficult stretch.

No team is a guaranteed win for a 6-11 team struggling like the Magic are — they still have the fourth worst net rating in the league. But the Magic have to come together quickly and win games early in this trip to gain some confidence for this difficult, fatigue-inducing finish.

“That’s why we’re kicking ourselves for not taking advantages of opportunities here at home,” coach Frank Vogel said. “It’s a challenging thing, it’s a hurtful thing. But that’s where we’re at. All we can do now is focus on the moment.”

The Magic cannot worry about the road ahead too much. They still have that first game to get through in San Antonio. Orlando has to focus more on itself and turning its game around rather than the team’s opponents.

The Magic have to find a way to generate more offensive rhythm and fluidity, something they appeared to pick up some against the Bucks on Sunday. The Magic also have to maintain the elite level of defense it has played for much of the past two weeks.

The road trip will be challenging, but it also provides a chance for this team to come together in a new way.

The Magic will be forced to spend time together for the first extended time this season — this marks the longest road trip of this season. That forced time together will force players to work together and learn from each other in a way they have not at home so far.

The benefits are pretty clear if the Magic can take advantage of them.

It would seem Orlando will either return from the trip more together, rising to the challenge of this difficult road trip. Or they could return worse off and on a bigger losing skid.

Next: Frank Vogel confident Orlando Magic will turn corner soon

“Road trips are where you really build chemistry,” Evan Fournier said. “You spend a lot of time together. As far as for the team, I think it is going to be great for us. We need to come back to Orlando with some wins. That’s what matters most.”