The Orlando Magic showed plenty of fight, but their execution was off and their defense was nowhere to be found in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The Orlando Magic will scratch and claw. That much they made clear in their first game without Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon in the lineup. They will not give up on any game. And when they snap to attention, they can compete.
It took them too long to get to attention after a difficult first half. And in the final moments, it was difficult for the Magic to execute and pay the attention to detail that will be necessary for the Magic to win now.
After Markelle Fultz made a play, stealing the ball from Myles Turner and flying down the court for a game-tying jam, the Magic ran out of plays. They forced a miss from Aaron Holiday. But Jonathan Isaac slipped as he tried to find Myles Turner for a box out. Turner gave the Indiana Pacers a second chance.
They did not waste it. Aaron Holiday got a mismatch in the confusion after the offensive rebound. He set up a two-man game with Justin Holiday, popping behind the 3-point line. Aaron Holiday took the pass from his brother and drained the 3-pointer for the lead.
Orlando struggled to get the ball in. When the team finally did, the Pacers surrounded Evan Fournier thanks to Terrence Ross occupying virtually the same spot. He turned the ball over and the Magic lost their opportunity to tie the game, falling 111-106 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Orlando gave away a lot of things the team may not see again facing the reality of the team’s injuries.
The Magic shot 46.7 percent from the floor including 13 for 31 from beyond the arc. They got a career-high 25 points from Jonathan Isaac. They got 26 points from Evan Fournier. Orlando recovered from a 15-point deficit thanks to a 40-point third quarter.
That is not something the Magic can rely on happening even at full strength. Orlando was able to run its pick and rolls and move the ball effectively enough in this game. The turnovers and stops the team did get, it turned into points.
But this game mirrored Orlando’s earlier loss to Indiana. The Pacers gave up a lot of points to the Magic, but the Magic could not slow down the Pacers either. Indiana shot 54.4 percent from the floor. It was the Pacers’ 19 turnovers that helped keep the Magic alive.
Orlando found its defensive footing long enough to make the game close and come back. The Magic had long stretches. But the team is nowhere near the defense it was to start the season. And everyone knows they can and still have to be better.
This game might have proved Orlando has the fight to compete and still have the chance to win. It might also have proved, the team still has to play at an attentive level the team lacked for a good chunk of the game.
The margin for error is smaller. And Orlando knows opportunities like this are not ones they can pass up with their injuries.
The Orlando Magic’s road trip continues Monday in Detroit against the Detroit Pistons.