The Orlando Magic's offense was sputtering. They had just three points through more than eight minutes of the second quarter. Things were falling apart offensively, as they often do for this Magic team. That is when a lot of games turn for them.
That was not the end of this game. The Magic kept their defense tight and remained focused. And then suddenly they had a burst. They made six straight shots and closed the quarter on a 16-4 run to take the lead into the locker room.
A month ago, that stretch might have buried the Magic. It might have put them down by 15 or 20 points by the time they figured things out. It would have been enough to end the game in the first half.
But Orlando has shown its resolve more during the last 12 games. The defense has dialed in and returned to the Magic's standard. Against the LA Clippers' stout defense, the Orlando Magic had an answer. They had the determination and urgency to win.
The Magic have come a long way and made big gains from the low they were in a few months ago. It has given them hope to finish the season strong.
But there are still so many things keeping them from fulfilling their potential. So many little things that will keep them from being the playoff team they want to be.
A 96-87 Clippers win over the Magic provided hope that the Magic are still inching closer to the team they thought they could be. But it was again a sign of what the Magic have left on the table.
Ultimately, for all the positivity that has lasted over a 7-5 stretch in the last 12 games and improvements on both sides of the ball, the Magic are still found wanting against the teams they hope to compete against in the playoffs.
They are still coming up short.
"That was a playoff game," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's loss. "The physicality, the small, tiny little things matter in these games. Because what turns out to be a four-point differential in the game feels like 10 because of the amount of possessions that are being had. Every rebound matters, every foul matters, every little, small possession in a game like this, which was a playoff-type game, matters. In a game like this, the little things matter the most."
The Clippers gave up that big run in the second quarter but immediately seized the game back in the third quarter. Throughout the fourth quarter, they fended off the Magic with their own defensive tenacity and physicality.
The little plays that win
Ultimately, the LA Clippers made all the little plays that win games like this.
Trailing by three points after forcing a turnover midway through the fourth quarter, Paolo Banchero settled for a step-back three instead of working to get into the paint or create a better shot. The Orlando Magic's defense was stout again, forcing James Harden to miss a runner.
But Banchero had the ball knocked away from him and out of bounds in transition. Norman Powell hit a transition layup to extend the lead to five. After Anthony Black missed a floater, Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a pull-up three. It was an eight-point game again.
The backbreaker came with the Magic down by five with 4:36 to play. Banchero missed a mid-range jumper. And then the Clippers collected three offensive rebounds before funneling the ball to Powell for a 3-pointer and an eight-point lead.
Banchero lost the ball on the next possession and two more offensive rebounds from Ivica Zubac (two of his nine offensive rebounds) led to a foul and a nine-point lead.
That was essentially the game as the Magic could get no closer to threaten the lead.
These are small plays. But under the pressure of a playoff-like atmosphere or in games of this magnitude, those little mistakes are greater.
"We're not going to have perfect games or great shooting nights every night," Wendell Carter said after Monday's loss. "We showed we can do it. Now we have to create that as the standard no matter how the game is going. Continue to play great defense and then eventually the ball will start going through the hoop for us."
Gearing up for the playoffs
The Orlando Magic are indeed gearing up for the playoffs. They have that in their crosshairs. And everything is about preparing for that moment. They are trying to re-establish their standard.
These are the kinds of games the Magic will have to win in the playoffs. These are the kinds of defenses and opponents the Magic will have to crack when they get there.
Orlando has become more competitive and has restored part of itself. That much is clear from the last 12 games—where the Magic are now 7-5. Their defense has returned to an elite level—107.7 points allowed per 100 possessions over the last 12 games.
But Orlando is still struggling to get over the hump and win these games against playoff competition regularly.
Their shortcomings from their shooting (7 for 26 from shooting), their precision offensively (15 turnovers for 14 points), their decisionmaking (Banchero had seven turnovers and made only 8 of 23 field goals and took seven of his nine free throws in the first quarter) and lack of offensive depth (10 points off the bench) are on full display.
Teams with good defenses will continue to crowd and frustrate the Magic. Even with the Magic finding their defensive groove again. Orlando still falls into the trap of playing too slowly.
The Magic have found something—even offensively, the team is scoring 112.0 points per 100 possessions. But they are not finding it consistently. There is still work to do.
"I think defensively, we played pretty well," Wendell Carter said after Monday's loss. "We held them under 100 points. We're one of the two best defenses in the league. We didn't do a great job of running. Knowing they played last night and being an older team, getting into their legs a little bit. I think something defensively, that's the standard. Offensively, we've just got to be a little bit better."
Winning at this time of year often turns on the smallest things. It turns on making a shot at the right time, the right decision and right pass or digging out that extra possession. That is what it will take to win in the playoffs, especially with the tall task ahead of the Magic as a likely Play-In team.
As important as the big things have been for the Magic, the little things still elude them.
"It's a lesson we have to learn," Mosley said after Monday's loss. "You have to go through this type of game against a playoff-type team to understand exactly the value of each possession of the game. There's going to be lulls in games, and in a low-possession game like this, every small possession matters."
Orlando is still trending in a better direction. It is almost certainly too late to save their main goals from this season—with the loss and the Indiana Pacers' win, the Orlando Magic officially cannot win the 4-seed.
Better is not where the Magic want to be. And another frustrating loss when the Magic need wins to close the season was a reminder that there is still very far to go.