The Orlando Magic led by 16 at the half against the Washington Wizards on Thursday. They seemed like they were preparing to cruise to a victory against the last tanking team they would face this season.
Business taken care of and mission accomplished. Nothing to worry about or think about before coming home for the final two games at the Kia Center for the regular season.
But assistant coach Jesse Mermuys was not too pleased as he spoke with FanDuel Sports Network Florida's Kendra Douglas at the half. He said the score did not matter. The Magic were not playing to their standard and not playing with the intensity they will need when the playoffs arrived.
The score entering the second half had to be 0-0 and the Magic needed to lock in and play closer to Magic basketball—the hounding defense, the ball movement and the general intensity.
This might work against an injury-depleted team at the bottom of the standings, but the Magic are two weeks away from the postseason. That is the opponent the Magic ultimately will face.
As if to prove that point, the Magic went up by 19 in the third quarter and then watched the Wizards creep back into the game.
Marcus Smart and Bub Carrington started firing from three. They were first to the ball more often and they whittled down the lead as the Magic went through one of their lulls.
This is what they were warned about at halftime. There are no off nights in the NBA. And there is no letting go of the rope or getting loose at this time of the season.
With two blocks and a steal in the opening two possessions, Jonathan Isaac made sure the Magic established that defensive identity. With Franz Wagner racing to the other end of the court to finish, the Magic extended their lead back out. With Paolo Banchero attacking the glass and finding Franz Wagner cutting to the hoop, the Magic put the icing on this game for a 109-97 victory.
The Magic did not lose their composure. They did not let the run rattle them. That is important for the team as they prepare for the playoffs and set themselves up for the postseason. But they also found enough of their standard to secure the win.
And that is why Thursday's win felt . . . unsatisfying. The Magic have a lot of work to do to be playoff-ready.
And they know it.
"I thought we just played alright," Franz Wagner said after Thursday's win. "Especially in the third quarter. I didn't like our focus. We knew that they were not going to let up. I think we can play a lot better, especially in the second half. But I guess we stayed together and trying to find good shots and realized that pretty quickly when we didn't play as well together."
The Magic never truly lost control of the game from the start. The Wizards hit threes early behind Carrington's career-high 32 points, including 7-for-10 shooting from distance.
The spurts that he had from deep in the first and third quarters only spoke to how loose the Magic seemed to be with their defensive intensity and precision.
They would lock in and bury the Wizards and race ahead. Then they would clearly loosen up the intensity and allow the Wizards to close the gap. The Magic were not postseason sharp.
The ultimate advantage
But in this matchup, the Orlando Magic had the ultimate advantage.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are stars who can take over games. They had their fingerprints all over the game and powered the Magic through any lulls or frustrations they might have had.
Banchero scored 20 of his 33 points in the first half. He added a career-high 18 rebounds and eight assists, taking command of various parts of the game. He absorbed attention and used it to get others open and get himself to the foul line.
Wagner helped power the Magic through the fourth quarter, scoring nine of his 27 points. His early scoring run helped the Magic get some critical distance and open up their double-digit lead.
"I think these two young men just find ways," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Thursday's win. "Finding ways to keep going and push. When they went on that run, that group came in there and put the ball in the hole, defended the right way, they shared the basketball and attacked the basket. All of those things we are going to continue to need down the stretch.
Others came along in stages—13 from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, including a 3-pointer and six free throws and eight of 10 points from Wendell Carter in the fourth quarter. They all helped put the game away.
The Magic shot 11 for 36 (36.7 percent) from three, more than well enough to pull away for the win.
In the end, the Magic had a strong defensive game—giving up fewer than 100 points and only 11 free throw attempts. Orlando went through a massive dry spell in the third quarter but found a way to use the defense to create offense to close the game.
Orlando will take the wins where it can get them. In the end, that is the only stat that matters.
Preparing for the playoffs
While the Orlando Magic need every win they can get to put some distance between them and the Atlanta Hawks for the Southeast Division lead—now at a game with the Hawks playing twice before the two teams' critical matchup in Orlando on Tuesday—they are also looking ahead to what they will need in the playoffs.
Maybe some of that experimentation led to some of the inconsistency they felt. The Wizards, after all, are an opponent that allows for some mistakes.
Orlando spent most of the game switching 1-5 as the team has all season. It seems that is a strategy the Magic want to perfect heading into the playoffs. The Magic clearly have their eyes on the postseason.
Jonathan Isaac took all the backup center minutes as he seemingly re-enters the rotation. His defense was vital to pushing the Magic back ahead in the fourth quarter.
Banchero grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds, committing himself more to defense as his mid-range jumper was not as reliable as it had been the last few weeks. He said his rebounding is something he wants to put more attention on and helped him stay involved in the game.
Wagner poured in another five-assist game, adding more passing to his overall profile.
Orlando is filling in and finding ways to win. That is a step in the right direction, of course.
Orlando could always impose its will on this game if it could snap to attention. That has been the case, it seems, throughout the season. The Magic have often struggled to put all the pieces together. Now there is no more time, the Magic have to find a way to be playoff-ready.
Perhaps playing tougher competition will bring that focus. The Magic close the season with four postseason-bound teams. Among the teams fighting for seventh in the East, the Magic have the toughest schedule.
If iron sharpens iron, the Orlando Magic will get the chance to tighten things up against the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers to close the season. The Magic will have no choice but to be ready and sharpen up.
All eyes are indeed on the playoffs for this team. And the standard has to be higher than it was for much of Thursday's game.