The NBA All-Star Break is on the horizon next weekend in San Francisco. The Orlando Magic will only see Tristan da Silva, Anthony Black, and Mac McClung compete in the Rising Stars Game. Franz Wagner may now have an outside shot at being named an injury replacement with Giannis Antetokounmpo out with a calf strain. But they will welcome the time off to reset and recharge.
Paolo Banchero already said he hopes to use the extra time off to get himself closer to his peak conditioning like he was at the start of the season. Both Banchero and Wagner, despite some successes and some struggles, are still working themselves back to full playing shape.
Part of the reason the Magic opted not to make any deals at the trade deadline is because the team has not seen itself fully healthy. Jeff Weltman said in two separate interviews he did not want to be pressed into a desperation trade because the Magic have not even hinted at what they could be at full strength.
In other words, the Magic believe their best basketball of the season is still ahead of them. They believe they are due for a strong closing kick that will cement their place in the playoffs and allow them to achieve their goals.
This is the time of year when teams start to work themselves into shape and the intensity ratchets up.
"I kind of get chills thinking about it just because the intensity of the game is turning up," coach Jamahl Mosley said after shootaround on Saturday. "Our guys coming back slowly and we'll have a whole team. and just having our spirit in the right direction being at home, just being able to feel that energy, feel the crowd and how much they support us. There is nothing better than the intensity of this moment for us to regroup and restart back at home."
A history of closing
Jamahl Mosley's teams have always succeeded in this area. They have finished the season strong and are in their best position as the season concludes.
The Orlando Magic went 9-13 in Mosley's first year after the All-Star Break with the Magic in 2022, 10-13 after the All-Star Break in 2023 and 17-10 after the break last year. All three seasons saw the Magic outpace their win percentage from the end of the year when they won 22, 34, and 47 games.
Mosley's teams have always improved as the season progressed and he is already talking about the goal of playing the team's best basketball in March and April. Orlando is betting on that improvement again as the team gets healthy for the first time since October.
That has been the case with Jeff Weltman's teams too.
The Magic famously went 22-9 to close the 2019 season to get to 42-40 and the 7-seed in the Eastern Conference.
Even in 2020, Orlando was 9-9 after the All-Star Break (including the Bubble). The team was 6-4 after the All-Star Break heading into the Bubble. The Magic believed they were playing their best basketball before the season halted for the pandemic and felt they were set to make a major run.
The Magic know what it takes to finish the season strong. It is something Orlando's teams have done repeatedly.
"I just think it's the spirit, our attitude. I'm optimistic. Everybody is optimistic," said Jonathan Isaac, who was a member of the 2019 team. "We're not hanging our heads about where we are at or feeling anything is lost or the season is over. We have a lot of games left to play. If we approach it with the right mindset, we'll be OK."
The schedule ahead
The good news is the Orlando Magic's schedule appears to be lightening up, at least on paper. If the Magic are going to make a playoff push, this is the part of the schedule that sets them up for success.
Orlando returned home from its trip after Thursday's loss to the Denver Nuggets and plays 10 of the next 11 at the Kia Center, where the team is 15-9. Of those 11 games, eight are against teams with records worse than .500, the kind of teams the Magic have feasted on this season.
"It's a great opportunity for us to steal a couple of games, get our mojo back and get our swagger back," Wendell Carter said after the loss to the Nuggets. "I know our fans are waiting for us back there. It will be a good thing, especially these next three going into the break. I think it will set our tone for the back half of the season. There will be a lot of emphasis on these next three."
That includes the San Antonio Spurs, whom the Orlando Magic defeated 112-111 on a game-winning shot by Paolo Banchero. Coach Jamahl Mosley credited the home crowd for playing a big role in lifting the Magic's spirit and energy as they erased a 13-point third-quarter deficit and a seven-point deficit with 3.5 minutes to play.
That showed both the opportunity for the Magic to stack up these wins and how games that seem easier on paper are still a challenge.
This is their opportunity to get themselves back on track.
Overall, the Magic have the fourth-easiest schedule remaining in the league by opponent win percentage. That includes three remaining games against the league-worst Washington Wizards. Additionally, according to Positive Residual, the Magic have the third-easiest schedule remaining taking into account rest advantages.
"Embracing each moment. I think that's going to be very important," Mosley said after shootaround Saturday. "Understanding where we are right now not just in the standings but in style of play. How do we want to get ourselves on the right track overall, creating that rhythm and creating that chemistry as we get guys back in the lineup but being able to do it at home with some familiarity and continuity and chemistry we can create? There is a lot to be said about that."
The Orlando Magic are still eighth in the Eastern Conference at 26-28. They trail the Miami Heat (25-25) by one game for seventh and the Detroit Pistons (27-26) by 1.5 games for sixth.
They trail the fifth-seed Milwaukee Bucks by 3.5 games and the fourth-seed Indiana Pacers by 4.5 games. It will take a major run to catch those teams. But the Magic can still get there wtih 28 games remaining.
There is still a lot to play for and many opportunities ahead. The Magic believe enough in their team to allow them to finish the job.
"Just build momentum. That's what the league is momentum what teams have it and what teams don't have it," Anthony Black said after shootaround on Saturday. "I think just getting under a rhythm playing under the same roof will help us get our momentum back."
This is the Magic's opportunity to dial back in and find their identity.
The focus for now has been on finishing strong to head into the All-Star Break. A three-game win streak would put the team at .500 at the All-Star Break. That would help them build the momentum they have always seen later in the season.
The Magic are aiming for another late-season push.