Orlando Magic win, but offensive problems still prevalent

The Orlando Magic escaped with a narrow win against the Boston Celtics Saturday night. Despite the win, the Magic struggled to make plays and create open shots.

Just because you get the win, does not mean everything went right. That was the case in Orlando on Saturday. The Orlando Magic squeaked past the Boston Celtics for a 105-103 win. But for long stretches, the Magic looked dismal.

Orlando continues to struggle to find offensive consistency as the team had throughout its frustrating 1-5 road trip.

Nikola Vucevic has by far been the most reliable player this season, but other teams are beginning to key in on him as the team passes the season’s midway point. The Magic are then forced to rely on others to fill the gaps. And too often those others are finding it difficult to make an impact.

The Magic shot 42.9 percent for the game and 11 for 38 (28.9 percent) from beyond the arc. Orlando had an offensive outburst in the second half, but that was still not enough to get the offense going overall.

The Magic had failed to eclipse 40 percent shooting in its previous three games. They have shot worse than 45 percent in five of the last seven games.

Orlando is 28th in the league in offensive rating, scoring 104.2 points per 100 possessions. The Magic had a solid 106.1 offensive rating in Saturday’s game. But the offensive issues were still prevalent.

Without a defined shot creator or playmaker, Orlando has a hard time keeping up with the rhythm of the game on most nights. On Saturday, Aaron Gordon was able to step into the lead role. He finished the game with 28 points.

Aaron Gordon was probably the most aggressive on the offensive end he has been all season long. He found his way to the free throw line 13 times and knocked down all of them.

But what stood out most was his shot selection. Gordon attempted five 3-pointers and only three mid-range shots all night. He played to his strengths, using his athleticism to get in the paint and finish.

Orlando needed someone to force his way into the paint to break their malaise through the first half and Gordon provided it.

But while Gordon was able to create shots for himself, he was not able to find open looks for his teammates. He only had two assists on the night. That is not a knock on Gordon, the team as a whole only posted 21 assists on the night. No one player had more than five.

The ball simply was not moving as it needed to for most of the night.

This is not a new trend for Orlando. On the season they have recorded 24.2 assists per game, 16th in the league. They are seventh in the league in assist rate at 62.5 percent. The Magic score a majority of their points off passes.

It is not bad, but it is not good either.

The Magic are smack dab in the middle of the league when it comes to assists per game. For reference, the Golden State Warriors lead the league at 28.5, with the Denver Nuggets close behind at 27.4. And just take a look at where they are in the standings. And their offense relies more on passing than ever.

And the team has not always gotten that consistently. The team’s leader in assists is D.J. Augustin at 4.8 assists per game. He is followed by Nikola Vucevic at 3.7 per game. That is good for a center, one of the very best in the league. But center is not supposed to be a position that features an assist leader.

Of course, it is great to get back on track with a win at home after a four-game losing road skid. But one win does not mean all of Orlando’s problems are fixed, or even that they played a great game.

It is easy to see a win as a positive -0 and a win over the Celtics is fantastic. But great teams use every game as an opportunity to learn, grow and get better.

The Magic’s poor offensive flow has been a problem throughout the season.

Orlando should build upon the positives like Aaron Gordon’s aggressive offensive attack, but also take the negatives like poor ball movement and learn from them.

The Magic have shown they can be competitive in this league right now. They just need to find the consistency.