Orlando Magic suffer heartbreaker to Atlanta Hawks ending win streak

Going into Monday, the Orlando Magic had not had a seven-game winning streak since 2011. After a last-second free throw by Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks, it will remain that way.

In a game where Orlando mostly trailed, the team finally pulled ahead late in the fourth quarter by going on a 13-0 run after Trae Young was called for a technical foul following a long-range 3-pointers. In the final three minutes, the Magic outscored the Hawks 13-2, burning off 13 straight points capped off with Markelle Fultz driving the ball and hitting a scoop shot from below the basket for the lead.

But Paolo Banchero committed an untimely foul on Dejounte Murray allowing the Atlanta guard to hit the go-ahead free throws for the 126-125 win. Banchero was unable to get off a shot for the potential game-winner ending the hopes for that elusive seventh straight win.

The Orlando Magic’s six-game win streak ended in heartbreaking fashion as the Magic’s rally fell short in a one-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Despite the heartbreaking ending, and the winning streak being snapped, there has been a lot to like regarding this Magic team in the past couple of weeks, specifically the individual performances of some of the core players.

The streak is over, but the lessons the Magic learned are what the team will need to carry over. And players will have to step up in the same ways to make this stretch sustainable and consistent moving forward.

Sure, the credit may go to one more than the other. But honestly, there was not a Magic player who played poorly during this stretch.

Paolo Banchero

Since returning from his ankle injury, Paolo Banchero has leveled up into the player that has impressed even the most pessimistic of Orlando Magic fans.

During the past seven games, he is averaging 22.1 points per game and leads the Magic in usage percentage (28 percent) for the year.

Banchero has not scored less than 20 points in his last seven contests leading into Monday’s game and has shot 44 percent (15 of 34) from deep in his last seven games. Banchero ended up with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting. He added seven assists as the Atlanta Hawks loaded up on him defensively.

His late-game heroics have gotten national buzz and respect from players around the league.

Doing all of this as a rookie is impressive, but being the number one guy, with all of the media attention that comes with it, makes it even more impressive.

Rookie of the Year?

Markelle Fultz

Since he has entered the NBA, Markelle Fultz has essentially become an afterthought. Even in Orlando, many Orlando Magic fans, including myself, tempered expectations regarding Fultz.

And when he inexplicably got injured in the offseason after returning from a torn ACL, many thought that seeing Fultz run the show as he did in the first eight games of the 2021 season would simply never happen again.

Well, we have seen that again. And it is clear how much Fultz means not only to the team, but also to the organization.

Prior to coming back, this season was in the gutter, and now the Magic are 6-4 in their last 10 games with the most momentum, and probably confidence, they have had all season.

That can be chalked up to their veteran floor general who had a season-high Monday in points (24), assists (9), minutes (33), field goals (11) and field goals attempted (19).

He is beginning to find his groove and I would expect the minutes to be more consistent as the season continues.

He is a direct reflection of the Magic’s success.

Franz Wagner

Franz Wagner, as anybody who follows Orlando Magic basketball could have predicted, is playing very well and not getting the national attention he deserves.

Despite this, Wagner looks like he can be a 1/1A type player on a playoff team and this stretch has shown that.

He leads the team in total points for the season and has played/started in every game for the Magic this season. Not something to overlook considering the team’s injury problems.

When the Magic struggled or could not get much going during this stretch, he kept them in games by leading the team in scoring on multiple occasions.

Wagner’s shooting percentage from the field has gone up two percentage points from last season even as his usage rate has increased four percentage points

The sophomore slump just is not happening.

There is still plenty to figure out though. Wagner has started to come back to earth in his finishing around the rim and he had 19 points on 6-for-18 shooting with some frustrating drives he hoped to get some fouls calls for.

Honorable Mentions and a look back

To reiterate: The Orlando Magic’s win streak has taken a team from 5-20 to 11-20 (now 11-21). A lot of NBA squads roll over and tank at this point, but this Magic team seems to have found a rhythm that can be carried throughout the regular season.

Here’s a quick look back on what could be the season turnaround for Orlando.

Dec. 7 vs. LA Clippers: Paolo Banchero scores 10 of his 23 points in overtime to defeat the Clippers after erasing an early game deficit.

Dec. 9 vs. Toronto Raptors: After giving up a 20-point lead, the Magic rode Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero to the finish line to pull out a three-point win against the Raptors. Wagner had 34 points on 12-for-15 shooting including the go-ahead putback late in the fourth quarter and Banchero had 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting. The Magic shot 59.2 percent from the floor for the game.

Dec. 11 vs. Toronto Raptors: Mo Bamba (18 pts) and Cole Anthony (14 pts) combined for 32 points on a 73 percent clip off the bench.

Dec. 14 vs. Atlanta Hawks: Orlando scored a franchise-record 50 points in the first quarter. The Magic had eight players score in double digits including Bol Bol who added 21 points and 7 boards.

Dec. 16 at Boston Celtics: Moe Wagner dropped 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting to keep up with Jayson Tatum and the Celtics.

Dec. 18 at Boston Celtics: Admiral Schofield scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter against the Celtics to keep the Magic in the game. Paolo Banchero scored 31 points to pace the team including several big shots late to secure the win. His performance helped secure the fourth road sweep of the season in the NBA (consecutive wins against a team on the road).

The Magic though are back to square one with their win streak. But they are much further along than they were two weeks ago. Now the team has to start building again and keep stringing wins together.

For once, the Magic are looking up instead of down and hoping to build more.