The Orlando Magic looked like they had spent all their energy in Wednesday night’s win as the LA Clippers raced past the Magic from the start.
From the very beginning of the game, it was clear something was different for the Orlando Magic.
The energy and spirit that enraptured the team through 48 minutes and delivered a win over the Los Angeles Lakers the night before on the same (or similar) Staples Center floor. There just was nothing left in the reserves to do that again.
And perhaps the LA Clippers heeded the warning their arena mates failed to the night before.
The Magic could keep pace offensively for about half of the first quarter, leaving the game tied at 18 apiece. But that was a warning sign in itself.
Kawhi Leonard was getting free for baskets too easily, coming around screens without much resistance. Nikola Vucevic was sitting too far back, creating passing lanes to the post for Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell.
The Magic never got it reeled in. Leonard was too much and the Clippers were in too much of a rhythm overall. Orlando could not disrupt it in a 122-95 loss at Staples Center on Thursday.
The Magic shot 39.1 percent from the floor and just 9 for 16 from the foul line. That suggests how the Magic struggled to keep the ball moving and find good shots.
The game for the Magic really turned when they broke their lineup and took Markelle Fultz out of the game. D.J. Augustin again missed the game and will be out indefinitely with bone irritation in his left knee. The Magic will re-evaluate him in 3-4 weeks. So they will be without a key player for some time.
That second-quarter group came with the team down by eight points and the lead already slipping. But the team’s minutes with Markelle Fultz out were hardly productive. Orlando could not get into its sets effectively. These minutes began to devolve into Terrence Ross setting himself up for 3-pointers.
That worked at least once as Orlando cut the deficit to 15 near the end of the third quarter. But it was hardly enough. The Clippers re-asserted the lead quickly and eventually expanded it out where the Magic could not catch up.
Orlando was always treading water once LA built up its lead. And that is just not something anyone can do against a quality opponent.
The Orlando Magic are 20-22 and seventh in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. The Orlando Magic’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 36 Magic wins or 36 Chicago Bulls/Detroit Pistons losses.
The Orlando Magic continue their road trip Saturday against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.