The first half of the Orlando Magic’s game Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers looked much like the first half of their loss to the Chicago Bulls from Saturday night.
They were late on rotations and fouling anything that moved. The ball got stuck in one player’s hands and they missed a ton of early shots. It was easy to see heads drop as they got back on defense — again a step slow and constantly behind.
The Magic were not assertive or aggressive, allowing their opponent to dictate the game to them. The frustration was written on their faces.
They certainly did not seem like they believed they were about to get a win. They looked discouraged.
That this was happening in a second straight game was certainly disappointing. The Magic did not seem to grasp the lessons or bring the consistency they would need to score an upset against one of the league’s hottest and best teams.
It is not the result that necessarily mattered. It was this lesson.
This fight for consistency that this team has been hunting for. The realization not only that this team is capable of making a postseason run or beating anybody in the league but the actual ability to do it more often.
The Magic have gotten their first taste of winning this season. They feel that expectation and that ability every time they step on the court. There has to be that belief. All that is left is the action.
The Orlando Magic are still hunting for consistency but got a good reminder of how good they can be as they erased a 21-point deficit on the road and upset the Philadelphia 76ers.
That might have been the message at halftime. Paolo Banchero said there were no clips or video to show. He said coach Jamahl Mosley just urged his team to play harder and to believe they were a good team. They just needed to act like it.
Whatever the spark was — a Markelle Fultz steal for a dunk? Paolo Banchero taking a rebound and going coast-to-coast? That one defensive stop at the right moment? — the Magic found it. They erased the deficit and then took over the game.
"“It just shows us that we can play with anybody,” Banchero said after Monday’s win. “I think we would like to not get out to slow starts. The fact that we are able to do that against good teams and come back to win shows we can play with anybody. At the end of the day, I’m proud of how we played and how we bounced back.”"
That is all it takes. And all the lessons the Magic should have learned earlier came into place. This is what growth looks like, applying the lessons they have learned through experience and improvement.
The result — a 119-109 come-from-behind victory over the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Monday — is just proof of what this team is capable of. More importantly, it is proof of what this team needs to do to realize that awesome potential this young group has.
And the way it looked in the second half against the Sixers on Monday, it truly feels like some awesome potential.
The defense that looked so lax and unable to get any stops whatsoever in the first half came alive and became a scrappy, disruptive group, flying to the ball and digging in for steals without fouling. That sparked the fast break and got the team going up and down the court.
"“As long as we believe and continue to fight every night, we give ourselves a chance against any team in this league,” Fultz said after Monday’s win. “We work for that. We all put in the work and we should believe it. We have to continue to build, continue to work and get better every day and win the day.”"
Orlando forced 19 turnovers for 20 points and recorded 28 fast-break points. Those are easy shots that can get any team back in the game. The Magic had nine of those turnovers, 11 of those points off turnovers and 16 of those fast-break points in that second half.
The Magic gave up just 41.9 percent shooting and a 95.9 defensive rating in the second half (103.8 defensive rating for the full game). This turned into a defensive masterclass after those struggles from the first half.
That is the start of everything. Defense is what this team repeatedly says it wants to hang its hat on. That is repeatedly what this team wants to be its identity. But that has been so elusive for this team.
Getting the defense to lead its energy is so critical. The scrambling defense and the turnovers the Magic forced directly got the team back into the game.
There are always several heroes in a comeback victory like this.
They got another stellar defensive effort from Jalen Suggs. He was getting after anyone he was guarding, getting deflections and steals. Suggs was not credited with any steals, and he made only 1 of 5 shots, but he was a constant presence. The team had a 97.7 defensive rating with Suggs on the floor.
The defense was solid too with Moe Wagner who also gave the Magic a huge boost. He was important offensively with his deceptive work in the post and willingness to get physical, but he was also deceptive defensively. He was the key to the Magic’s changed defensive strategy on Joel Embiid and held his ground.
That willingness to be physical on defense is really what changed everything for the Magic. That was the big thing the team had to realize. They found that balance and that got them back into the game.
Still, the Magic had to make shots and they had to move the ball to get there.
It started for sure with Paolo Banchero awakening offensively. He scored 14 of his 29 points in the third quarter. He found his rhythm and started hitting shots from the mid-range, attacking the basket and getting to the foul line.
He was a beneficiary of the team’s turnovers and transition play. He brought everyone’s energy up as much as Fultz did with his constant ability to get into the lane and get the team moving. Fultz had lots of defensive plays too but he pushed the team to a faster pace and got them going downhill.
Like anything going downhill, once it gets going there is no stopping it. Fultz was not scoring at will, but he was getting into the lane and paint and generating energy with his pace.
Winning on the road against a team like the Sixers and erasing that kind of deficit has to be a monumental moment for a young team. The Magic saw how good they can be and exactly how they need to play to be that good.
Belief was restored.
"“The resiliency of the group understanding it shows growth that they are learning from experiences,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday’s win. “They found a way to bounce back, they find a way to believe in each other and understanding it’s got to be on the defensive side of the ball.“It’s got to start with the belief system in who they are as young men and the work they put in and the work we believe in them doing. And then they’ve got to show it.”"
That will be the reminder for the rest of the season. And most importantly the reminder for Wednesday’s rematch at Wells Fargo Center.
This team has already seen how good they can be. Now comes the thing they have been chasing: consistency. They have to do it again.
Their growth came Monday in that they were able to make good on their mistakes from Saturday. Their real growth will come in doing this again and making this level of play regular.
That is still out there to achieve.