Winning a playoff series will be incredibly difficult for the Orlando Magic. They are without two key players, still lack offensive firepower, and have to face the Boston Celtics, one of the strongest and deepest teams in the league. Nevertheless, the Magic showed during their massive Play-In Tournament win over the Atlanta Hawks that they should not be counted out too quickly.
The Magic had two things going for them in their 120-95 win: scoring from their role players and defense. Those things could very well make the difference between a win and a loss in the playoffs. Winning a series against the Boston Celtics will be tough, even when every Magic player is at their best, but the team has shown that they have enough to win in the big moments.
That alone was a massive success for the Magic after a season filled with injuries and offensive struggles. Now, the Magic just have to show that they can do the same in the playoffs.
The Magic got a big win to advance to the playoffs
Orlando’s depth has not been as strong this season as it used to be, but it still made a key difference in the Play-In Tournament. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner struggled to score, shooting only 30.8 and 40 percent from the field respectively. Neither cracked the 20-point mark. And yet, the Magic scored far above their average.
Big scoring performances from Cole Anthony, Wendell Carter Jr., and Anthony Black saved the Magic’s offense. Usually, if Banchero and Wagner are not putting up big numbers, the Magic struggle to find any kind of offensive production. That was not the case last night.
If the Magic’s role players can play like that during the playoffs and Banchero and Wagner put together some better performances, Orlando won’t go down quietly.
Seeing the Magic’s defense make a difference in such an important game was less surprising. The Magic finished the regular season with the second-best defensive rating in the league, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder. No matter how much the offense struggles, the Magic can defend, even without Jalen Suggs.
That was on full display against the Hawks. The Magic ran players off the 3-point line but also made shots at the rim difficult. As a team, the Hawks shot only 38.1 percent from the field, and the Magic held Trae Young to 8-21 shooting from the field. He still put up 28 points, but that number did not come easy. Only three other Hawks players scored in double-digits. That kind of defense could make the Magic a real problem to deal with in the playoffs.
The Magic were also huge on the boards, grabbing 42 defensive rebounds compared to the Hawks’ 33.
It was not a perfect game, but the Magic seized the opportunity to secure a playoff spot and establish themselves as an opponent that should not be taken lightly.