Orlando Magic Grades: Minnesota Timberwolves 124, Orlando Magic 118

The Orlando Magic made a wild fourth-quarter rally. Their poor third quarter proved too deep a hole to dig out of in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Orlando Magic entered the fourth quarter down 26 points.

That statement alone should be a sign of how much the team struggled in the third quarter after trailing by three points at halftime. Orlando again seemed to be lifeless and succumbing to frustration. The shots stopped falling, the Magic seemed willing to let the Minnesota Timberwolves do whatever they wanted. They were not going to keep pace.

In the fourth quarter, things changed. In a weird turn of events, the Magic caught fire. Their energy picked up and the game suddenly got a bit more uncomfortable.

Orlando went on a 19-4 run to start the fourth quarter. Minnesota missed its first 15 shots in the quarter. And the Magic slowly inched their way back, getting as close as four very late in the fourth quarter.

The Timberwolves may not ever have actually been sweating as the Magic scrambled to get back. Jimmy Butler hit several big shots over tough defense in the fourth quarter to give the Wolves the distance and space they needed.

Late 3-pointers from Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross were too little, too late. The Magic can only look back at their third quarter with regret. That was the difference in a 124-118 loss to the Timberwolves at Target Center on Wednesday.

Orlando built as much as an eight-point lead in the first half, moving the ball with the ease and comfort they had earlier in the season. It energized their defense and kept them connected and hustling to get to shooters. It was far from perfect for sure — Minnesota still scored plenty of points. But the Magic were able to control the pace of the game. And their second unit dominated.

Turnovers again proved to be the Magic’s downfall, giving up the lead and trailing by three at halftime. From there, Minnesota kept up the defensive pressure. They forced a few more turnovers, forced action in the paint and got to the foul line. Minnesota took 45 free throw attempts.

With Orlando’s shooting gone, the team could not keep pace. A disappointing end and a sixth straight loss for a Magic team searching for a positive result.

Orlando’s offense might have been better. The team might have played angry and with urgency to bring a large deficit back under control. But that is not enough. Not for a team with Playoff expectations.

The team’s energy is far from where it needs to be nightly.

Next: Aaron Gordon's time at small forward valuable

The Orlando Magic’s road trip continues Friday in Boston against the Boston Celtics.