The Orlando Magic find themselves in the middle of arguably the toughest part of their schedule. They just snapped a nine-game losing streak with an overtime win against the LA Clippers on Wednesday and a win over the Raptors.
But the path ahead does not look much easier as this team tries to get its feet under it.
The next 5 games consist of the Toronto Raptors (tonight at Amway Center), Atlanta Hawks (twice) and Boston Celtics (twice). All teams that are squarely in the playoff race and each very difficult matchup for a young and struggling Magic team.
Orlando is currently 7-20 and 14th in the Eastern Conference. The Magic are five games out of the final play-in spot. Those dreams of postseason play are quickly fading.
Thoughts of a surprise playoff run for the Orlando Magic are quickly fading as the most difficult part of the schedule has done a number on this team. The Magic need to find their way now to set up the rest of their season.
While that was always a bit of a long shot for such a young team. The Magic did have a call to be more competitive this season. And the team has been inconsistent with that this season. This stretch of games — Orlando has just three wins in its last 14 games overall — has been particularly tough with injuries only piling on the struggles.
This season is spiraling out of control. With reinforcements coming along slowly, Orlando needs to find a way to survive.
The Magic have to get back to their identity of being a defensive team in order to stay in the race.
Instead, Orlando finds itself ranked 27th in defensive rating and 23rd in rebounding. This can not be the case if Orlando wants to compete every night.
It is a disappointment considering Orlando still has Bol Bol, Moe Wagner and Mo Bamba in the rotation on the inside and Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero on the perimeter with their size and length.
It is clear the team will improve when healthy. But there is still talent on this team in order to compete.
On the offensive end with the Magic struggling in half-court sets against set defense, the Magic need to play at a faster pace where currently the Magic rank 25th in fast break points, 23rd in pace and last in assists. Orlando needs to change the way they play if they want to win games.
The Magic have to find a way to play these games in order to find success and stay within reach of the race for the play-in. At the very least, they need to do this to show the growth they hoped for at the start of the season.
There are a lot of missed opportunities that have put the Magic in this spot beyond just their injuries and poor performance.
The Orlando Magic put themselves in this situation by losing winnable games such as opening night against the Detroit Pistons in which Orlando held a double-digit lead and again versus the Sacramento Kings where Orlando held an 18-point lead at halftime.
The Magic are just 5-12 in clutch situations this season. While it is encouraging to see the team play in the fourth-most clutch games so far this season, Orlando has to find a way to turn these into wins.
The Magic need to find a way to win these games while the reinforcements return to the lineup and allow themselves to make a run.
That part of the schedule is coming when the Orlando Magic have a run of games against the Houston Rockets (Dec. 21), another team the Magic dropped a winnable game against at Amway Center; San Antonio Spurs (Dec. 23), Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 27), Detroit Pistons (Dec. 28), Washington Wizards (Dec. 30) and Oklahoma City Thunder (Jan. 4) will be critical to building confidence and cementing growth.
It is on the horizon.
But the Magic have to get there first. And the team has to find some wins in the meantime.
They got some good news with Mo Bamba returning to the lineup Wednesday. Paolo Banchero, Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony are still working their way back from injuries. And the team is still waiting for Wendell Carter, Jalen Suggs and Chuma Okeke to return from their nagging injuries.
There is also at least a chance Jonathan Isaac may make his long-awaited return during the homestand at the end of the month. He began his rehab stint with the Lakeland Magic to get back into game conditioning at long last.
The Magic have already displayed the ability to win games most would not give them the chance to win such as games versus the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.
In those games, the Magic followed their game plan and found a way to win. This pathway to success can also be seen in their last wins against the Clippers and Raptors with their more energized and physical defense.
This part of the season was always going to be dark, but the Magic need to find a way to stay afloat and win not go winless during this gauntlet part of their schedule.
Orlando’s record is not good by any stretch of the imagination, but there is still room to get back into the race. Reinforcements are coming soon but the Magic need to hold on while the cavalry makes their way.