Orlando Magic seeing their opportunity slip through their fingers with inconsistent approach

The Orlando Magic dropped another game following a seemingly unfocused and frustrated effort. They are missing their chance to gain ground.

The Philadelphia 76ers continued to leave the door open for the Orlando Magic. Their hot shooting cooled off and the Magic were given the time to figure everything out and get their feet under them.

The 76ers took as much as a 13-point lead in the third quarter. With how much the Magic struggled to track 3-point shooters throughout the game, it felt like a matter of time for the 76ers to pull away. The Magic without Terrence Ross and at the end of a rough eight games in 12 days coming out of the All-Star Break, clearly were sensing some fatigue.

Really it was the same problem that plagued the team in three discouraging and frustrating losses to the worst teams in the Eastern Conference — a lack of focus and intensity.

It happened again building a troubling pattern, even though Orlando still found itself with a chance to win. The Magic still had to reach into their reserves and find a way to win to stay in the Playoff race. No one wants to hear excuses.

The Magic against lost another opportunity to prove themselves a Playoff team and makeup ground in a Playoff race that shows no signs of loosening. Orlando has no one to blame for its recent struggles than itself.

Tuesday, it was not that the Magic lost to the 76ers. Philadelphia is one of the best teams in the conference. It is the way they were about to lose. An effort that saw the team consistently lose track of shooters and struggle with basic coverages defensively.

Orlando found that spark in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia’s offense became stagnant and the team was unable to find lanes into the paint or open 3-point shots. The Magic started to buckle down and their energy began to build slowly.

It culminated with five minutes left when Nikola Vucevic, who struggled to take advantage of his matchups throughout the game, followed an Aaron Gordon miss with a two-handed slam.

The score was 101-99 and suddenly anything felt possible again.

Then the reality set in. The Magic missed shot after shot — an open three, a layup and plenty more. The defense kept them in it. The Sixers and Magic would go more than two minutes without either team scoring.

With less than three minutes left, Jimmy Butler hit a shot. And his late-game heroics would begin, including a step-back jumper over Nikola Vucevic for a three-point lead. Jimmy Butler’s assist to Mike Scott buried the Magic in a six-point hole they would not recover.

That play was a sign of a larger issue throughout the game. Aaron Gordon was switching onto Mike Scott but did not seem to think he should. He appeared to be pointing at Vucevic to follow the big man. He stood in the middle of the two players.

By then, it was too late, Scott had buried the three and the Magic’s chances to win.

The game came down to the coin flip of a close game. Losing a close game would be fine if it were not for the team’s overall poor effort to that point. The Magic struggled defensively in every way through three quarters.

The team lost track of players — on one occasion in the third quarter, J.J. Redick came around on a baseline cut with no one trailing and hit a 3-pointer with no one within 10 feet of him. They failed to communicate switches and left players on islands facing two players. They lacked physicality and gave up offensive rebounds and got outworked and outhustled.

That is all unacceptable. And the fact the Magic still had a chance to win only papers over the fact the Magic were not doing what they know they need to do to win.

That has been the case in the Magic’s other losses since the All-Star Break. Their defeats to the three worst teams in the Eastern Conference — the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers — came because the team did not bring the right approach and intensity of effort to the game.

They were able to compete and have a chance to win those games with bursts of the effort they need. But eventually, that effort was exposed at the end of the games.

Consistently right now, Orlando is putting itself behind the 8-ball. The Magic are capable and able to win games against any opponent. They can win games even with efforts that are not their full, best efforts. That much has been made clear.

But it is a whole lot tougher. And when it comes to preparing for the Playoffs, the inconsistent effort and focus on what they have to do can be fatal.

The Magic may not even get that chance if they do not right their ship and approach every game with the physicality and focus they will need.

Perhaps there are some built-in excuses right now. The Magic just finished playing seven games in 11 days. Their sluggish defensive efforts could very well be the result of tired legs.

That is not an excuse that flies as the team still had the chance to win each game. The Playoff race does not care and Orlando has to find a way still. It is not like the team is getting blown out.

But getting some time off between games — they do not play against until Friday — could help refocus the team.

Orlando Magic

Then again, these are all opportunities lost. The Orlando Magic now trail the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat by a half game (they play each other Wednesday in Charlotte). Both the Heat and Hornets will then have two games in hand. Orlando still has ground to make up.

And while the Magic were able to steal games with focused, energetic efforts against the Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers, they missed opportunities to gain ground by dropping the games they “should have won.”

Orlando will get plenty of opportunities to get those back. The Magic do not play a team with a record better than .500 or in the Playoffs as of now until the 76ers come to Amway Center on March 25.

This is a moment where the team can bank up some wins, at least theoretically. But so were those other opportunities the Magic squandered. And they appear to continue to squander.

They will not take advantage if they do not bring the right approach to each game. That is what they are struggling with more — far more than making or missing shots or any defensive miscues. The Magic need the right intensity and focus to get those wins.

And that has been the biggest struggle of all in this stretch.

Their door is starting to close. Orlando cannot assist in closing it.