The Orlando Magic exited the All-Star break with huge ambitions. They felt good after winning two of three at home following a tough West Coast road trip. They felt the break would refresh them and set them up for a strong run to the end of the season.
Getting homecourt advantage may have been potentially out of range, but winning the division and finish seventh was certainly in play and potentially threatening the Detroit Pistons for sixth was never out of the question.
The biggest thing on the horizon was a seven-game homestand. It is one of the Magic' s key goals to defend their home court. It is where they built a good chunk of their early season record and their success in the 2024 season.
The Kia Center was their fortress.
Nobody then can rightfully explain a 1-6 homestand and the missed opportunity the Magic had to solidify their place. Even a winning homestand of 4-3 would put the Magic at 32 wins and comfortably ahead of the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks in the driver's seat for seventh as those teams begin their own lengthy homestands.
Instead, the Magic are playing catch up. And they will have to do so on the road.
The feeling is not great inside the Magic locker room. It is a mixture of frustration and disappointment. Orlando has been unable to get over the hump and unable to meet the standard the team has set for itself. Answers have been hard to come by.
"Obviously, [confidence is] not very high right now," Paolo Banchero said after Wednesday's loss to the Chicago Bulls. "I think we are struggling. We've lost a lot of games at home. That was something that last year we didn't do very often. I think confidence is low. But we've got a huge road trip. We've got some great teams that we're playing against. If we can grab one or two of those games early and give ourselves a chance on the back half of the road trip, we can build some momentum. It's going to take a huge turnaround."
Winning at home was something the Magic hung their hat on. They were 29-12 at the Kia Center last year. They are now 18-16 on their home floor, especially frustrating considering they started 10-0 at home this season—making them 8-16 in their last 24 home games.
Missed opportunities at home
These losses were especially disappointing because of how agonizingly close to a breakthrough win that would have eased the tension and pressure.
They lost to the Memphis Grizzlies on the second night of a back-to-back after losing a 17-point third-quarter lead. On the final possession, the officials failed to grant a timeout and forced up a difficult shot, resulting in a 105-104 loss.
After defeating the Washington Wizards, they dropped a disappointing and shell-shocking 40-point defeat to the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. A game that seemingly showed how far they are from the team they were last year.
They followed that up with a solid first-half response against the Golden State Warriors, leading by 17. Stephen Curry then went supernova in a 56-point barrage. The Magic got to the final possession but gave up a critical offensive rebound late that led to a Curry three to clinch the game in a 121-115 loss.
The Magic hoped it could work itself right in three straight games against losing teams to close the homestand.
But the Toronto Raptors raced ahead of the Orlando Magic in the third quarter in both games and held off furious rallies—from 10 down in the final two minutes in the first meeting and from 11 down in the fourth quarter in the second. Franz Wagner missed a potential game-tying layup in the first meeting and rookie Ja'Kobe Walter held off Paolo Banchero's furious rally in the fourth quarter (18 points in the final 7.5 minutes) to score the sweep.
Orlando did not find any relief in Thursday's loss to Chicago. Despite leading throughout the second half, Coby White's career-high 44 points, including nine in the final 2.5 minutes, buried the Magic and sent them to a fifth straight loss.
Orlando has lost three consecutive games by one point for the first time in franchise history. Any one of those games flipping in the Magic's favor might have given the team some necessary relief. Instead, the Magic embark on a road trip with more questions than answers.
"We would feel a lot different if we would have won the game tonight," Franz Wagner said after a 125-123 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. "There is a bigger issue where we are not playing up to our standard. Sometimes you can play up to your standard and lose. Obviously winning solves a lot of things."
Magic at a crossroads
The Orlando Magic are seemingly at a crossroads. Franz Wagner was not the only player to mention the team can go one of two ways. It is up to the team to choose the path and find its groove.
Unlike this homestand, the Magic face a tough road trip.
They are set to embark on a five-game, 10-day road trip that features only one opponent with a record worse than .500. The Magic are only 8-22 against teams with records better than .500, only better than two teams—the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.
The Magic will face the Milwaukee Bucks (fourth in the East), Houston Rockets (fifth in the West), New Orleans Pelicans (14th in the West), Minnesota Timberwolves (seventh in the West) and Cleveland Cavaliers (first in the East). The game against the Cavaliers on March 16 was flexed into a 1 p.m. slot on ABC, giving the Magic another national television game for better or worse.
No matter how the Magic slice it, these are challenging teams the Magic are trying to get right against.
"The message at the end is we have to fight our way out of this funk," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Thursday's loss to the Bulls. "Our ability to go on the road, regroup, reset our mind on what we need to do and band together on the road and continue to fight. This league, it can turn fast one way or the other. I think our guys will understand exactly what we need to do to turn that."
The standings are indeed tight enough that things can change quickly. The Magic have sunk losing six of eight out of the All-Star Break. But the Heat and Hawks are not running away with it either. Miami is 4-5 out of the break and Atlanta is 3-5 since the break.
A modest win streak by anybody will put some brathing room in the race for homecourt advantage. The Eastern Conference has been extremely forgiving.
But everything starts with the Magic finding themselves again. They have slipped defensively, ranking 15th in the league in defensive rating in eight games since the All-Star break at 14.4 points allowed per 100 possessions. The Magic's offense has looked brighter.
Orlando just cannot get the win. This is the test the Magic face on the road. They have to find themselves again.
"We have 18 games left. We can either crumble up and go in corners and start pointing fingers or we can man up," Wendell Carter said after Thursday's loss. "This is where you separate the boys from the men, in my opinion. Our backs are against the wall. Everybody is against us. I feel like the only way we're going to get out of this is if we pour into each other."
The Magic are admittedly frustrated, Paolo Banchero said. The only way to regain their confidence is to win. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said the team has to get that win however they can. Any win will do to provide some relief.
Undoubtedly, Orlando missed a golden opportunity during this homestand. They made their path to the postseason that much more difficult. And now they have to go on the road to make a clear statement of their intent before the season gets out of reach.