Orlando Magic get one night of solid play to build on

The Orlando Magic got exactly what they needed, responded from a disappointing loss with a rousing and dominant win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Coach Steve Clifford addressed the media before Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and said the Orlando Magic had to win the game. He would not call it a must-win, contradictorily, but this was the kind of game a Playoff team had to find a way to win.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had been waiting in Orlando since their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. The Magic were playing a back to back flying in from Washington the night before. Off a frustrating loss at that.

If the Magic needed a test of their focus and ability to play at a high level when all the cards were seemingly stacked against them, this would be it. Especially against an opponent with a poor record who handed the team its first loss by more than 10 points since early January.

Call this mission accomplished.

"“I feel that we played upset,” Evan Fournier said. “Wanting to play better and just do better because we know we [messed] up the last few games. We have to have the same mentality. It’s got to be within us, the spirit. We keep talking about the spirit, that’s definitely the most important.”"

Seemingly from the start of the game, the Magic were dialed in on both ends. A few early misses did not make them sweat. Eventually, they worked the ball inside to Nikola Vucevic for easy baskets. He made them and the confidence grew from there.

But it was the defense that led the way for the team.

From start to finish the team was making second efforts defensively. They cleaned up any mistakes they made and did a better job rotating to help on drives and forcing the Cavaliers to drive down the baseline rather than through the middle. They forced deflections and steals and turnovers and easy baskets.

Clifford said the team had 46 deflections in the game. A much better effort than the team’s frustratingly poor defensive effort against the Washington Wizards the night before.

Deflections are not a guarantee of a win but they are indicative of a strong defensive performance. On top of those deflections, the Magic forced 16 turnovers and scored 23 points off those turnovers. They had everything working.

"“We played more determined,” Nikola Vucevic said. “We really played to win. we knew what we had to do tonight. We were well prepared, came in and concentrated and focused. We played smart ball tonight. I don’t know if we played angry. It was more of a focused game.”"

The message heading into this game was for the Magic to play better. Their coach put them on high alert that they needed to pick up wins. There is no hiding from the opportunity in front of them in the next week and a half at home and the ground they have to make up in the standings.

This was a game that required the team’s full attention. The fact they gave it was a positive sign for a team that has come out lethargic far too often this season.

It would seem like this game was easy and the Magic led by 16 after one quarter. They had things rolling at that point, shooting 57.7 percent from the floor overall.

But that fall was eventually coming. Clifford noted that this team is going to go through poor shooting stretches. That is the kind of team this is. They do not have the offensive weapons to score consistently.

The game was really decided in the second quarter as the Magic’s bench struggled through a 2-for-13 stretch over six minutes. This would have been a ripe time for the Cavaliers to charge back from their 24-point deficit.

Instead, Orlando stayed locked in defensively. The Cavaliers got as close as 17 before the Magic came out of their slump. And Orlando took a 20-point lead to the halftime locker room. Cleveland would make no other serious runs at the lead.

"“There’s going to be stretches like that. And we’ve got to be on it defensively every night,” Clifford said. “You can’t turn it on and turn it off.”"

That has been the biggest issue for the Magic. They can play with heightened intensity and focus. But it is still not ane very game thing.

They were clearly left upset with their play after that game Wednesday night and their recent play of late. They finally did something about it with a focused effort.

Vucevic said the team stuck to what they know they have to do. Their defense was on point. They moved the ball inside out and to the next man open on several occasions. The team never went away from those principles.

From the beginning, he said, you could tell the Magic were ready to play. They were locked in and never let up. Even at the beginning of the third quarter when teams make that adjustment, Orlando expanded and grew its lead. The Cavaliers never truly threatened the lead with any serious run.

It will take more of these to get where they ultimately want to go.

"“We played solid throughout the game,” Evan Fournier said. “At some point, we made shots. But throughout the game defensively we were solid. We had a lot of deflections. We were reading to the ball throughout the 48 minutes. It was just a good effort overall.”"

Momentum is indeed the next day’s pitcher and no one is counting this as anything more than the solitary victory it is. The Magic know this is how they must play but also know carrying that effort over has been the biggest struggle since the All-Star Break.

For now, this was a vital and necessary win for the Magic. They responded to their frustration and disappointment. They proved to themselves they can do this once.

Now the trick is to do it again.