Late-game poise is the last ingredient missing for Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic once again found themselves in a close game and once again found themselves struggling to finish. That may cost them in the end.

The game was tight. As it has often been for the Orlando Magic.

Close games and needing to execute down the stretch for this team should be second nature. Only one other team has played as many close games as the Magic this year. The team they lined up against Sunday evening.

Even up seven with 5:38 to play, the game was tight to the end. And the contrast between how the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic handled those minutes was stark. Especially considering the Magic are fighting for a Playoff spot and the Grizzlies are limping to the end of their season.

On one end, the Magic seemed to make compounding mistakes. They committed five turnovers and gave up two and-one fouls that helped the Grizzlies close on a 21-6 run. The Magic missed open shots but also got stuck in the mud offensively, unable to execute and get the ball to their best players.

Memphis, a strong defensive team in its own right, made some good defensive plays. Jonas Valanciunas blocked Wesley Iwundu on one of the few moments of offensive clarity the Magic had.

The Grizzlies had much more. Mike Conley controlled the tempo and rhythm of the game. Memphis made defensive plays behind Joakim Noah and Jonas Valanciunas to keep Orlando out of the paint and start transition plays. Memphis’ leaders and veterans made big play after big play when the team needed them.

The contrast was hard not to notice.

Yes, the Grizzlies are just as poor in close games as the Magic. Memphis and Orlando are each 17-24 in close games. Some of that has to do with talent at the end of the day. And the Magic certainly have to look at their game against the Grizzlies as another lost opportunity to take control of this Playoff race.

And, again, it was their late-game execution which cost them.

Failing to find their center

Orlando could not seem to center itself. The offense was frantic. The team’s shot selection was suspect. No one could seemingly get inside the paint. And the lineup coach Steve Clifford used did not seem set for success, even if it was done out of necessity.

All that is part of the equation for the latest late-game struggles. The same elements remained — turnovers, poor offensive execution and self-inflicted wounds.

The Magic needed to find something to calm them down and set them straight again. It never really came.

Nikola Vucevic would miss both of his shots in the final five minutes. The game rarely ran through him, running through Terrence Ross more often. Terrence Ross is a skilled shooter, but he works better off the ball rather than with the ball in his hands. The Magic could not spring him free and had few other options to score.

That is not how things usually go. The Magic usually run through Evan Fournier, for better or for worse.

He has become the Magic’s closer in these situations, hitting his share of big shots — like the ones against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. But Evan Fournier has also had his flaws and faults — a turnover-driven performance against the Portland Trail Blazers comes to mind.

He was off the floor because of a third-quarter ejection for arguing calls with an official. The team missed his 1.7 points per game in clutch situations — defined as any game within five points in the final minutes of a game. He helped set the table with his ability to run pick and rolls. While he is a growing playmaker, he has had notable struggles running the show.

The Magic certainly could have used his shooting threat. A lineup featuring Wesley Iwundu does not quite carry the same spark.

A season-long struggle

The comfort of playing through Fournier — with all his ups and downs — might have led to a different result.

But there is a reason, even with Fournier, the Magic are 17-24 in close games with a woeful 92.7 offensive rating, the worst in the league in close games. There is a reason the Magic have a 14.4 turnover rate in clutch situations, as the team suddenly becomes a turnover machine late in games.

And while the Magic’s defense holds its own late in games — it still took the Grizzlies a while to come back — the team’s inability to get big baskets at key moments puts too much pressure where one mistake like a touch foul can tip the game over the top.

Orlando simply lacks the poise it needs late in games. And a solution is not coming quickly.

Who will step up and provide the stability the team needs?

Fournier has had plenty of big moments but his struggles too. Before his big moments against the Pistons, Cavaliers and Pacers this year, there were plenty of difficult moments.

Against the Pistons, the Magic led by eight with 3:13 to play before allowing the Pistons to tie. Orlando was down five to Cleveland with 40 seconds left before rallying for the win. And against the Pacers, the Magic saw a seven-point lead dwindle to two, including having Fournier get the ball ripped from him in the backcourt in a five-point possession. His shot saved the game.

Ross, also averaging 1.7 points per game in clutch situations, has had his clutch moments too. But both Fournier and Ross are shooting worse than 30 percent from beyond the arc. Percentages tend to decrease late in games, but not by this much.

Orlando Magic

The Magic are a much different team late in games. They win out of seeming desperation and relief rather than confidence and composure.

Nikola Vucevic has not been much help in these times either. He is averaging 1.6 points per game in clutch situations, but he is shooting 34.8 percent from the floor. And lately, he has turned the ball over on numerous possessions late in games.

Vucevic, especially, is the guy who has provided the most stabilizing force this season. But even he has succumbed to the pressure and frantic nature of the Magic’s late-game execution. Or lack thereof.

Orlando is struggling to center themselves and execute in these moments. It is becoming the central tension of the season. Likely, whether the Magic can make the Playoffs will come down to solving these execution problems.

That is not going to happen if the team does not play with more calm and poise. Those have been lacking all year. Discovering how to get comfortable and succeed in close games is an ever-evolving process.

But the Magic have played enough of these games at this point. They have struggled to find success. And Sunday was proof of that. They still looked frantic and hurried. The pressure seemed to get to them.

The Grizzlies had the calming voice and presence in Conley. Memphis may have its own issues to resolve. But the team stepped up to the plate.

Orlando continually does not. And that is why the Magic are struggling to find their footing in the Playoff race.