The Orlando Magic struggled to shoot the ball. But their defense carried the day and they eked out a win to stay undefeated in the preseason.
To get a sense of Steve Clifford’s frame of mind and how he wants everyone on the Orlando Magic to approach every moment on the floor, look no further than an early fourth-quarter timeout.
The Magic had seen their double-digit lead reduced to two points on a 3-pointer from Trae Young. Clifford had already pulled his regular players. Really only Terrence Ross, Markelle Fultz and Mohamed Bamba remained in the game as part of the team’s regular rotation.
None of that mattered. The standard is still to win and to execute. Who is in did not change that.
Out of that timeout, the Magic got a driving layup from Markelle Fultz and a 3-pointer from Terrence Ross to extend the lead back out to seven points. Between all that was more frustrating defensive stops from the Magic that characterized the whole game. The Orlando Magic never let the Atlanta Hawks’ high-powered offense get fully going.
The Magic’s defense stayed suffocating, recording deflection and steal one after the other. It was an ugly game. Orlando’s offense itself struggled to get going as the team looked like it was in preseason form.
But through all the struggles — some rushed shots, forced drives and fouling — the Magic could still count on a win with a 97-88 victory over the Hawks at State Farm Arena on Wednesday.
It was certainly the worst the Magic have looked in the preseason so far. Orlando shot only 37.6 percent and 10 for 34 from beyond the arc in the game. It was a struggle to keep the ball moving. Especially with the team committing 18 turnovers (and just 21 assists on 32 field goal makes).
Orlando was trying too hard to create off the dribble. The team was not getting the paint touches that are a hallmark of its offense.
Not helping matters were the absences the team had. Evan Fournier sat out the game to rest. Aaron Gordon took a shot to the jaw trying to get around a screen on the first play. He scored five points on 2-for-4 shooting in 7:52 of action. There was no reason to push him any further.
For the first time, Orlando faced some adversity. Whether it was injuries to key players or their offense failing them at several points. The Magic have to execute better.
But their defense was on point. And their defense gave them a chance throughout. At this early stage of the season, that certainly feels like it counts for something.
The Orlando Magic play their first home game of the 2020 season against the Boston Celtics on Friday.