Orlando Magic quietly establish a home court, and they need every bit of it

The Orlando Magic have started to put together some stellar performances and have turned the Amway Center into a difficult place for opponents to play.

Early in the season, the Orlando Magic were not much to look at in the Amway Center.

Their opening night sellout against the Miami Heat, a game that is already proving how important those early season games are, was a triumph for the team. Everyone seemed to play well including rookie Mohamed Bamba and the team held on for a victory.

But Orlando started its year poorly at home. As if to get hit with reality, the second game at home saw the Orlando Magic come back to reality with a 120-88 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. The Magic would lose four of their next five games at home.

If Orlando was going to make a Playoff push, protecting the Amway Center floor was going to be paramount. It was going to be difficult to expect this team to make up for that on the road. It would be difficult to expect any team to do so.

A big part of Orlando’s success has been this change at the Amway Center.

With Wednesday’s 119-96 win against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Orlando Magic won their fifth straight game at home, their first five-game home winning streak since 2014, and won their 21st home game, securing a winning home record for the first time since winning 23 in 2016.

They have slowly turned the Amway Center into a place where they can count on wins.

"“It’s important,” D.J. Augustin said of defending their home court. “Road games are tough no matter who you are playing. Whenever we can steal a game on the road, it’s great. We feel home games are must wins. With the crowd behind you, being familiar, being at your home and your routine, I think we have the advantage at home. We’ve got to take advantage of it.”"

This current five-game homestand, in which the Magic are 3-0, is vital to the team’s Playoff hopes. The Magic have had to bank up wins to keep up with the suddenly streaking Heat for the final Playoff spot. The Magic are continuing to apply the pressure and have handled the Playoff pressure well at home.

Coach Steve Clifford certainly has to feel playing within the comforts at home has helped.

He said he was proud of how his team has handled the Playoff pressure to this point. Especially how this homestand started. The team did not play well against the Washington Wizards, struggling defensively in the first half before faltering in the fourth quarter. But the next night they played one of their best games of the season in routing the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That certainly helped set a defensive tone for this homestand. The Magic have plowed their way through opponents backed by one of the best defenses in the league in that time period.

"“We’re playing a lot better at home,” Clifford said. “Early in the year, we were not good here. Certainly we’re playing better.“I think we’re just playing better period. At home, if you think about it early in the year, our purpose of play and intensity seemed better on the road than it was here at home.”"

It is common sense that teams play a lot better at home than they do on the road. Whether it is the energy from the crowd or the comfort of familiarity, teams always bank on winning at home to provide the base of their record.

Statistically, the Magic are not a stellar home team. Guaranteeing a .500 record is a small victory. The team has its struggles at home with a +1.0 net rating (107.8 offensive rating/106.8 defensive rating). The offense is a mere 1.0 points per 100 possessions better at home than on the road and the defense is also only marginally better.

Orlando still plays like a .500 team at home overall.

But the intensity inside the Amway Center has increased since the Magic turned the corner.

Since coming home from the January West Coast road trip, Orlando is 11-5 at home with a +8.0 net rating (111.2 offensive rating/103.2 defensive rating).

That is a true home-court advantage. And is as much a part of the Magic’s turnaround to get back into the Playoff race as anything else.

"“It’s the biggest part about it. We’re only going to get better,” Aaron Gordon said. “We’re comfortable with it. We play here all the time.”"

This five-game homestand represented a major opportunity for the Magic to make up ground in the Playoff race. They have taken advantage of it. Especially in the last three games. Against opponents out of the Playoff race, the Magic have taken care of business behind a dominant defensive presence.

Orlando will need to bank up those wins. The Magic’s supposedly “easy” schedule gets significantly tougher starting Monday, the final game of the homestand.

The Orlando Magic close the homestand against the Philadelphia 76ers before heading to Miami to take on the Miami Heat in a pivotal game for the Playoff race. They then travel to play the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, all Playoff teams.

That is a daunting road trip and the Magic will need all the confidence they can get.

"“You get a couple of home wins in a row, individually if you have some good games at home, on the road you bring that same momentum and that same confidence with you when you go on the road,” D.J. Augustin said."

The Magic will have two more games at home before they hit the road again. It is the point of the season where every game feels like a must win. With the Heat playing extremely well and holding a 1.5 game lead for the final Playoff spot, every opportunity to get a win is a big one.

Orlando is proving the Amway Center to be a difficult place to play. The crowd is getting more engaged as the Playoff race tightens. These final four home games all feel like must wins for the team as they continue to make their push.

And the Magic are stepping up tot he plate so far.