Young teams are not supposed to win going on the road in back-to-backs. They are not supposed to win when teams deliver a punch and put the team in adversity. They are not supposed to punch back. They are not supposed to survive on their second unit.
There were a lot of things the Orlando Magic were not supposed to do in Wednesday’s 108-102 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. You could pick them all out through the course of the game.
The Magic built a lead only to give it away. They zoomed ahead and trusted the second unit to deliver. They got all that and then some.
The Orlando Magic had every excuse to give the game away in New Orleans. Instead, the team keeps digging deep and finding ways to give themselves a chance to win.
Orlando got a gutsy performance that good teams might be envious of. The team relied on its defense to carry it through and held a hot New Orleans team at bay for the entire fourth quarter. The Magic were never really threatened as they continued to show growth and some measure of poise.
Orlando keeps building on lessons from previous losses as a team and, as of late, are finding ways to grind out surprising wins.
"“We’re just learning,” Terrence Ross said after Wednesday’s win. “We know what to do in these moments down the stretch where we understand every team is going to make a run during the game. It’s just about withstanding that, staying solid, not getting too out of character and making sure you do what you do to make sure your team works. For us, we just have to do the little things — moving the ball, attacking, shooting shots when you are open.”"
The game was tied at 73 apiece after Orlando gave away a 15-point halftime lead. It felt like this is what a team with the worst record does. They have a nice moment, but not enough to sustain through the course of the game. That is the script for a team like this.
They are not supposed to go on an 8-0 run to answer to retake the lead and control over the game. That is what Orlando did when Chuma Okeke sparked the run with an and-1 layup followed by a Gary Harris three and a tough Wendell Carter turnaround jumper.
They are not supposed to be able to dig down deep through fatigue and rely on their bench. But then that is exactly what the Magic did.
The Magic did not sub out their second unit the entire fourth quarter as the group. Powered by Terrence Ross’ 12 points in the quarter, they kept hitting big shots and getting stops to hold on. With a group that is worn a bit with injuries — whether it is Jalen Suggs’ sprained ankle, Cole Anthony busted nose or a hard fall Mo Bamba took — coach Jamahl Mosley stuck with that second unit and they responded.
It was not pretty and both the Magic and the Pelicans had the look of teams that were playing on the second night of a back-to-back. But the Magic had enough to win.
Increasingly Orlando is finding ways to surprise and grow.
"“We started the season a little rough, but we’re definitely coming around to understand what it takes to win games,” Ross said after Wednesday’s win. “Any time you can do that and get that clear understanding, it makes it easier to move forward.”"
The team is young and still prone to mistakes — there were plenty in this game including 19 turnovers that led to 25 New Orleans points to keep New Orleans in the game. But the team is also starting to find ways to overcome that.
It has started on defense where the Magic have always found the basis for whatever success they have found this year. When they had a brief spurt of winning in January, it was because they were playing with one of the top defenses in the league.
That is apparently the case again. Orlando has the top defense in the league since the All-Star Break. That is just six games, so hardly enough of a sample to draw conclusions or claim any kind of permanence.
But at least in the short term, that has given the team confidence and ability to stay in games.
“I think the main thing is, as a team, we have been tied together on a string,” said Cole Anthony, who scored a team-high 19 points, in Wednesday’s win. “Rotations, we’ve been on point with that. Just having each other’s back and making multiple efforts as a team. I think that has been the key to our defense being what it is right now.”
The Magic had an offensive rating of 109.1 points per 100 possessions in Wednesday’s win against the Pelicans. That will not impress the best offenses in the league. But with a defense that gave up just 103.0 points per 100 possessions, that is enough to give the offense latitude to make mistakes.
It is also a testament to the team’s growth. Because one thing young teams are not supposed to do is win games when their offense is not working. It is still true that offense can energize defense. And young teams especially are susceptible to letting missed shots affect their defense.
Getting the defense to be the foundation for the team and travel away from the Amway Center has remained the biggest challenge for this young team. And perhaps the biggest key to the team’s chances at victory.
"“The growth from game to game, understanding when you are out there with different guys, different lineups, different rotations, understanding what we’re trying to accomplish,” Mosley said after Wednesday’s win. “You know you’ve got to sit down and guard. And then being willing to make the extra pass and then stepping into your shot when you’re open. We had some guys make some key plays down the stretch.”"
To be sure, Orlando was not able to win this game running on fumes as it was without a solid defensive effort.
After New Orleans made 13 of 19 shots in a 32-point third quarter, the team hit only 11 of 26 shots in the fourth, including one of 10 3-pointers. The Pelicans had an offensive rating of only 107.4 points per 100 possessions. That is not the killer rating the Magic have had recently, but still a good number.
In the first half of the fourth quarter, the Magic gave up just 91.7 points per 100 possessions. That was enough to give Mosley the faith to stick with that group.
As risky as that decision was, the Magic could count on it because the defense kept coming up big. And the offense made enough shots to keep the Pelicans at distance. Every time it felt like there was a shot or a play that would spur the starters to come back in, Orlando made the plays to stay ahead and keep the game comfortable.
That is a sign of growth even if it is the veterans like Gary Harris, Terrence Ross and Moritz Wagner leading the way.
The Magic have at times lacked the poise to close games. They have taken some bad losses and had poor execution down the stretch. But being able to manage a lead and close a game out is as difficult as anything else this team has had to learn.
As Mosley put it, getting down and defending is a skill this team has often lacked consistency with. It is something this team has had to learn. And it remains important to the team breaking through.
Slowly, this team is learning it. Every part of it.
The Magic are learning how to gut out wins and succeed even when their offense is not working. They are learning to embrace the grime that is sometimes necessary to win.