Orlando Magic poor first quarters leaving them chasing, falling behind

The Orlando Magic have struggled to start games after the All-Star Break and that has put them behind the 8-ball throughout the game. Often too far behind.

The Orlando Magic were feeling good after a big win over the Minnesota Timberwolves last Friday. They had a three-game win streak, shots were falling and everything seemed to be working well for them.

Coach Steve Clifford warned his team after the game that their play was not good enough. Without defense, they would be in trouble. There were several troubling signs — including in that game last week. Despite forcing a ton of turnovers and executing their offense with ease, D’Angelo Russell was hitting shots and the game was tied after the first quarter.

The following night in San Antonio proved to be the wake-up call.

Before the Orlando Magic could blink, the San Antonio Spurs had hit five 3-pointers and taken a 16-point lead. The Spurs outscored the Magic 38-27 in the first quarter and set the tone for the game.

Orlando scrambled to give itself a chance to win the game at the buzzer. But the Magic were always chasing.

Things got worse Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. CJ McCollum scored 17 points in the opening frame to stake Portland to 35-28 lead. Orlando was chasing again and it never really felt like the team caught up.

Since the All-Star Break, the Orlando Magic are a respectable 3-4. But their first-quarter play is questionable at best. Scoring 101.7 points per 100 possessions (28th in the league) and a league-worst 25.8-percent from 3-point range in the opening frame, the Magic find themselves behind early and often.

The Magic are top-10 in scoring (117.1 points per game) after the break. But that is the entire game. In the first quarter since the break, the Magic are still near the bottom of the league, scoring 102.9 points per 100 possessions, 25th in the league. This even though the Magic are one of the best offensive teams in the league after the break.

The team is chasing deficits and having to put things together quickly to make up deficits and give themselves a chance to win.

All the more reason to fix these slow starts as soon as possible.

With Clifford and the Magic playing from behind each game early, it makes it tougher to establish consistency in Clifford’s big-picture mindset. Suddenly, now you are bending and adjusting styles of play in-game very early rather than dictating early on.

Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon have seemed smaller in the early going.

Despite both players playing well throughout the course of the game and putting in some strong scoring efforts, neither have played well in the first quarter.

Vucevic has done his job, scoring 6.9 points per game on 50.0-percent shooting during first quarters after the All-Star Break. Gordon takes a little longer to get going. He is averaging 3.5 points per game and shooting 39.1 percent in first quarters. He averages 2.0 assists per game in the first quarter.

Since the break, Gordon is averaging 16.2 points per game and shooting 52.1-percent from the floor. He is clearly getting his offensive work done later in the game as he feels his way through the game.

We are now seven games into the second half and the Magic have scored 179 points in seven first quarters. The Magic are getting 25 points on average nightly, shocking since they are in the top 10 in scoring for a team per game at 117.1 pts an outing.

Clifford has the Magic playing from behind early on. How often? They have not led after the first quarter in any of the seven games after the All-Star Break.

We understand Clifford is a master of adjustments and finding a way to win under any circumstance. He exposed a little of his philosophy last season during the Magic’s route to the playoffs.

There is a lot to be said for that philosophy.  He is telling us and the players to stay fundamental. But, more importantly, he does not care about making any adjustments in order to secure a win.

With such a selfless mentality, it is no surprise Clifford always has a trick up his sleeve to pull out a win from anywhere.

Clifford would be the first to tell you that starting strong and dictating the game early is important. He often says those who claim the league is a fourth-quarter league could not be further from the truth. Teams that lead after the first quarter win far more often than they lose.

Limiting damage early is important, but dishing it can be the difference between a late-game loss or a win.

The Magic are being bullied in the first quarter.

This points to a lack of preparation and focus. The Magic need to be more physical early on to set the tone on both ends of the floor. There is no easing into these games.

Nikola Vucevic showed flashes of a competent post up against the Heat late in Wednesday’s loss. Orlando has largely found a way to get him going early on this season. But other players need to step up. And, most importantly, the Magic need their defense to increase their attention to detail and physicality.

Look for the Magic to start attacking earlier with Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic. Ultimately, the two biggest guys on the floor starting (Gordon and Vucevic) need to stay involved and start dictating the flow of the game, not reacting to it.