The Orlando Magic are not going to hide behind their disadvantage. There are no excuses in the NBA when every win matters and a team tries to aim toward the playoffs.
The Magic know every game is important and they have already blown through the cushion they built for themselves in November and December.
Orlando is reeling and only the hope of players returning from injury gives them hope. But even that hope comes with a caution. Players are still returning from injury and getting back into a workable playing shape. They still need to be able to reach the finish line.
Right now, that finish line seems so far away even with the bright moments the Magic have. They are still struggling to pull together wins.
And there is no excuse for not winning, even with the hurdles they have to overcome.
Orlando extended a 14-0 run into the fourth quarter to take a 14-point lead early in the quarter. The team led by 12 with 6:27 left and then led by eight with 4:10 to play in regulation. The Magic could feel that grip on the game slipping. They needed a Franz Wagner floater to force overtime.
In the first overtime, they led by six with 1:45 to play only to give up a pair of three-pointers to let the Heat tie the game.
In the second overtime, the Magic had nothing to reach back for in a 125-119 loss. Orlando has been running on empty for a while because of the injuries. They are just getting healthy now. But they are not running at full capacity quite yet.
"We gave the game away," Franz Wagner said after Monday's loss. "We had multiple chances in regulation and the first overtime. Honestly, down the stretch, we struggled offensively. At the end of the day, offensive rebounds, bad communication, it felt like in stretches in the game not just the last couple of minutes. We've got to be better on both sides of the floor."
Coach Jamahl Mosley has warned that there will be ups and downs as they bring players back from injury. Consistency is still something their team will chase as they get back up and running with a fully healthy roster.
Orlando has plenty of viable excuses to lean back on. But they still have this one truth: They have to find ways to win these games. And this double-overtime loss to the Heat is going to sting.
Hints of what they can be
The Orlando Magic admit that has to be part of what the team is struggling with right now. There are still hints of what they can be.
The team was riding high with the way Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner finished Saturday's win over the Detroit Pistons. The team was struggling with the lows of the way they finished this game against the Miami Heat.
They saw all of their best players put in some strong performances. But they also saw how much they can still struggle. They are not a complete picture yet.
Wagner finished with 29 points and eight rebounds, but he made only 10 of 25 field goals and two of his 10 3-pointers. In the fourth quarter and overtime, he scored nine points on 4-for-12 shooting. He went scoreless in the double overtime as his minutes extended to nearly 40 minutes once again. He look tired in his third game back from injury.
Paolo Banchero looked off too with Bam Adebayo hounding him all night.
He scored 17 points on 7-for-21 shooting, making only two of his eight 3-pointers. He had five turnovers in the game. In the fourth quarter and overtime, he tallied six points on 2-for-8 shooting. He failed to score in either overtime period and had two turnovers in the first overtime.
Orlando put the ball in its best players' hands and the team struggled to execute and create motion. Wendell Carter was the only player to score in double overtime, hitting an and-1 layup.
It remains a struggle for the Magic. They are closer to being whole, but palyers are not at full steam.
"I think I'm just continuing to learn each game and looking for ways to improve," Banchero said after Monday's loss. "Everyone is getting a feel for each other. Honestly, it didn't feel too bad. They just came storming back in the fourth quarter and overtime. We had some stretches throughout the game where we played some really good basketball."
They see what Banchero and Wagner can do together. Even in this game, they had moments where they took over. Orlando built a 14-point lead on decisive ball movement, bullying attacks to the basket and timely shooting and defense.
It remains the scary thing. The Magic have enough to win. But the stars are still inconsistent.
What cost them the game
The Magic do not want to use fatigue as an excuse. They do not want to use this training camp vibe of re-settling in as an excuse either.
It is another thing they have to overcome and fight through. But they are still capable of winning these games.
Instead, the Orlando Magic want to look at everything that cost the team this game.
Beyond the struggles in the final six minutes and overtime, the Magic missed 10 free throws, going 15 for 25 for the game (including seven of those misses in the first half when they shot 8 for 17 from three).
They turned it over 15 times which led to 29 Heat points. They had six in the fourth quarter and four in the two overtime periods.
These are all things they control and things that constantly prevent them from winning. Some of those issues may be coming from learning to play together, but they are still easy things to clean up.
And with so many players on minute restrictions coming back from injuries, there is not always enough in the tank to finish games right now. That could have led to the communication breakdown and defensive lapses that kept the Heat in the game and brought them back in the fourth quarter and overtime.
"That's definitely a part of it," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's loss. "But it is also the early parts of the game that you shouldn't get to that point if you take care of business. At certain moments, you walk out of a timeout and they are down 10 and you give up two threes to Duncan Robinson. Those are situations you have to look at and we have to communicate. We just have to be better in those situations. And we will be."
In many ways, the Magic started to look like themselves again. It was all there in spurts. The Magic know they have enough and are building enough to win games like this.
But they have to find a way to win them still. Orlando continues to struggle to keep up in the standings and see-saws behind Miami in the Southeast Division. The Magic have not won consecutive games since Dec. 23. Orlando is still searching for consistency.
Some of that will comes as players get into rhythm. But that is not an excuse the Magic want to wait for. They need to find that spark again soon.