Paolo Banchero was rightfully upset.
The Toronto Raptors had pushed and prodded, living in the Orlando Magic's chests and preventing them from moving. Frustration was boiling as shots refused to go down, and the Raptors took advantage.
Banchero was doing his part as the nominal center to try to set a screen to free up a teammate. He moved into Davion Mitchell's space and set his feet. But Mitchell got there quickly and flung himself into Banchero perhaps before he could get set.
Offensive foul on Banchero. Another foul. Another moment where the Magic could not gain separation and could not find space to breathe.
The Magic are looking for that space to breathe because right now they are flailing. And they are feeling the frustration of it all.
They had watched a strong and free-flowing offensive start build a 21-point lead and give way to a 15-point third-quarter deficit and eventually a 109-93 defeat. They watched the Raptors score 40 points in the third quarter to flip the game on its head while the offense sputtered.
Banchero was rightfully upset and frustrated. He picked up a technical foul as the frustration boiled over. They are still seeking that room to breathe and some answers after another hot start gave way to a lifeless offensive effort to a crash on defense.
The team is down right now and searching for answers. Answers that are not coming so easily as injuries and illness rip through the roster. They can only move forward and try to find themselves again.
Because right now this team has lost a bit of itself.
"I think as a team we've dealt with a lot of adversity over the years," Banchero said after Tuesday's loss. "It's not something we're not used to. e always find a way to make it out. I'm sure this won't be any different even though it looks pretty bad right now. We'll make it."
That is the only hope the team can have. Especially with the prospect of reinforcements returning soon. The Magic only show up in glimmers.
Playing Magic Basketball
The things that built their early lead are what defines Orlando Magic basketball.
They got downhill to the paint, forced the defense to collapse and kicked out for threes. They finished around the rim and were aggressive on their drives. They defended and turned the ball over getting out in transition. They were the dominant and more physical team.
The Magic can see they still have it in them to play with the energy.
Whether it was the injuries that gutted the roster, leaving them once again with just eight available players after Jonathan Isaac left at halftime with an illness that also claimed Cole Anthony, or whether they just lost their mojo, the Toronto Raptors took control from there.
They did all the things the Magic typically do so well.
Orlando gave away the early 21-point lead as their hot shooting subsided. The Magic gave up 40 points in the third quarter as their five-point halftime lead turned into a 15-point deficit. They had 33 points in the middle two quarters after the 37-point outburst.
But those 40 points—which included 6-for-9 shooting from three and eight points off five turnovers—sting the most.
The Magic had no answer. And lacking that answer has been the consistent theme of this past week. The Magic's defense has not been the backstop and with it has gone the team's resiliency.
"We have to do a better job answering runs. Started making shots, we started giving them good looks. I think the run got us," Anthony Black said after Tuesday's loss. "We've been tough all year playing through things. In the game, we've got to do a good job staying locked in on the main thing. Even though we were up however many points, the run started feeling heavy on us. As we mature, we'll learn how to play through those runs and have better answers for those runs."
Orlando gave up a 118.5 offensive rating despite the strong start defensively. That is the fourth straight game giving up at least 116 points per 100 possessions. They have given up only 116 points per 100 possessions in 10 games this season.
The key to the Magic's defense is their physical style. They push and poke teams into turnovers and mistakes and put them in tight spaces. They will foul, but usually, that fouling takes its toll.
The Magic played with that energy early, frustrating the Raptors into early turnovers and scrambling to contest shots. That energy dissipated quickly though. Suddenly Toronto became the more aggressive and physical team.
The Magic make up for their poor offense through offensive rebounds—just eight second-chance points on 14 offensive rebounds—and getting to the foul line (14 for 19 from the line). The missed chances near the basket stung. The Raptors became more aggressive with 28 free throw attempts.
Orlando could not respond.
The biggest issue then remains how the Magic let their offensive frustrations affect their defensive effort. What was once a point of pride for the Magic have become something they cannot overcome.
And so the team finds itself in a rut offensively and suddenly opponents are able to bury them with effort. The kind of thing the Magic used to have an abundance of and used to make up for their mistakes.
The team admitted pretty publicly they were running on fumes after Sunday's loss to the Denver Nuggets. Until relief comes, the Magic have to find a way to be more competitive and play with energy. The Magic have to be more resilient within the game.
The Injury Factor
The injuries are a factor. The team has accepted that it is a reality. One they are still struggling to find.
But undeniably, missing so many key players and seeing players in and out of the lineup because of nagging injuries and illness have pushed this team's depth to its limit.
It is hard to win when Caleb Houstan (27:44, -26) and Trevelin Queen (22:51, -32) have to play significant minutes. It is not that they are bad players, but there is a reason they are at the end of the bench.
With the high-energy level the Magic play at, it is hard to sustain with just eight healthy players.
"I don't think it's really an excuse," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Tuesday's loss. "That's a reality. We came out great. We had high levels of energy, intensity, communication, running through screens, getting over screens. As the game wore on, trying to maneuver with eight guys, having to continue to battle and continue to fight. They got extremely physical. Our attacks to the basket were going sometimes unrewarded. I think that took the level of frustration away from us."
The prospect of players returning soon seems like a carrot. That may change some of these realities.
Orlando is missing the energy that Jalen Suggs and Goga Bitadze bring. They anchor this team's vaunted defense. And it has been wayward especially since Bitadze suffered a concussion.
What the Magic are trying to do is tough. It is hard to play with the crazed effort and intensity this team is used to missing so many players. But that is who they are. It is who they have to be.
"It's tough playing with eight dudes for sure," Black said after Tuesday's loss. "We've got dudes playing battling different things. It's always an excuse you can make but like we always talk about we know we have enough. We're not letting ourselves make that excuse."
If the team is not going to make that excuse, then it has to play to its defensive standard. That is the first thing they have to recover.
At this point in the season, Orlando expects to struggle on offense. The shots will come and go. And the players the Magic are missing only make those offensive struggles bigger. The Magic have to do a lot at a high level to give themselves a chance on that end.
Orlando could not find a way to create a spark.
And without defense, the Magic have no hope to win. It is that simple.