The Orlando Magic were set up for a gutsy road win over the Phoenix Suns. Then they lost their composure as an 8-0 run closed the game for the Suns.
The Orlando Magic had that steely gaze of a team about to get a big win when Nikola Vucevic drained his second straight 3-pointer to give the Magic a 94-90 lead against the Phoenix Suns.
Orlando was the playoff team burying the non-playoff team even without Aaron Gordon (sore right calf) and D.J. Augustin (left knee contusion) in the lineup with injuries. The Magic brought the fight.
They might still be trying to find the finish.
Devin Booker knows how to finish and knows how to hit those tough shots. He came around a Deandre Ayton screen to hit a contested 3-pointer over the trailing Evan Fournier to cut the lead to one.
Markelle Fultz then made a young player mistake, driving too deep into the paint without a plan. He tried to whip the ball back out to Evan Fournier. But Booker stole it and he got to the 3-point line for a go-ahead 3-pointer.
The Magic’s lead had evaporated and suddenly that poise and calm evaporated.
Down by two points, the Magic struggled to get into their set. They still were able to work a post-up for Nikola Vucevic with Devin Booker on him. Booker tried to swipe at the ball and pull the chair, grabbing Vucevic around the waste in the process. The refs swallowed the whistle and Ricky Rubio stole the ball and hit a free throw to extend the lead to three.
Orlando was still scrambling and could not get a good shot up to tie the game. Fournier tried to draw a foul on the subsequent 3-point attempt and could not get Ayton to budge as the Magic finally fell 98-94 at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Friday.
What would have been another chance for a gutsy win by an undermanned team on the road turned into another frustrating close loss. A game Orlando had in the bag but could not close against a star player making tough shots and canceling out their defensive efforts.
The Magic deserve some credit for their ability to scramble and defend despite all the absences.
Orlando fell behind by 10 points and struggled to shoot for much of the first half. The team gave up far too many free throws. But the Magic played much more disciplined and focused in the second half to erase the deficit and then take the lead late into the fourth quarter.
Orlando did plenty wrong and were plenty sloppy — an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers, including six in the fourth quarter. The team got stuck several times going into isolation play. Fournier looked off some open shooters.
But plenty others played well to make up for the losses the Magic had. When they played strong defense, they were as effective as they always are.
When the pressure heightened in the fourth quarter and the avalanche began, the Magic lost a lot of the poise that put them in the lead. And with all the absences the team has, that poise is the thing that matters most.
The Orlando Magic are now 18-21 and seventh in the Eastern Conference, percentage points ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. They trail the Indiana Pacers by six games for sixth in the East and lead the Charlotte Hornets by four games for eighth.
The Orlando Magic are back in action Monday against the Sacramento Kings in at GoldenOne Pavilion.