The Orlando Magic need to find their joy, belief again

Late in the second quarter, the Orlando Magic took a double whammy. Franz Wagner got caught on a nasty screen from Daniel Gafford and crumpled over near the three-point line. Luka Doncic was coming downhill now with a 2-on-1 with Wendell Carter on an island.

He went to take Doncic. But as Doncic lofted the ball toward Gafford, he collided with Carter and seemingly banged knees.

Jalen Suggs did what Jalen Suggs does, flying in to block the lob attempt. Suggs was called for the foul and immediately motioned for a review. But then his attention turned toward Carter.

Carter was flexing his knee and struggling in pain (do not worry, Wagner was back up and OK, relieving the Magic of that scare). As the Magic called their timeout to challenge the play, Suggs put his arm around Carter and walked with him to the bench.

When the FanDuel Sports Network Florida broadcast returned, Carter had his head buried in his hands, a towel draped over his head, with Suggs still consoling him. The dream of playing 82 games this year was gone and another injury was on the horizon—a strained left plantar fascia that took him out for the second half.

That is how things went for the Orlando Magic in another disastrous second quarter—a 35-18 Dallas Mavericks advantage that blew the game open and made it a nearly 30-point deficit. Things just seemed to snowball from bad to worse.

As Orlando continued to miss shots—whether at the rim or from beyond the arc—it was easy to read the body language. Shoulders drooped, heads dropped.

Those long faces though are everything about this Magic team right now because that is not who this team is.

Coach Jamahl Mosley has often defined his team by the joy with which they play. There is a spirit and levity in how they play. Perhaps that only comes out because the team is winning. It is easy to play with joy and excitement when the team is winning.

But the Magic need that joy more than ever now after a 108-85 defeat to the Mavericks on Sunday. They need to find that spark and energy that has defined this team's culture. They need to believe in each other and their chances to win.

They need to be themselves again.

"These guys need to enjoy playing the game of basketball," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Sunday's loss. "I think our guys will understand that. Knowing that this is early in the season. But there is a focus level you have to have no matter who's out there. The intensity we need to play with, the urgency we need to play with and the joy we need to play with."

It is indeed a long season. There are ups and downs and the Magic are unquestionably in a down period. But the players cannot hang their heads over one play or one stretch. They have to stay the course. And they have to enjoy this work to dig themselves out.

Because right now they are not. Not for any real period. Maybe not even more than Suggs trying to cause his usual brand of chaos. And the team is losing itself in ways that it cannot because of it.

If there is one thing that has been consistent about these first two games since Paolo Banchero's injury was announced, it is that the team is staggered. And a staggered opponent is one that is easy to knock out.

Orlando Magic knock themselves out

The Cleveland Cavaliers did it early blitzing the Orlando Magic with three-point shots as the Magic struggled to find a way to get the lid off the basket. Orlando made mistakes it could not afford to make and fell too far behind.

The Magic played with more fire to open their game against the Dallas Mavericks. They learned some lessons from that first game, making it a point to attack the basket and work inside out. They got to the foul line and created steals and deflections.

As the first quarter wore on and the Magic broke their lineup, the team fell behind. The shots stopped going in, even the good looks they were getting. And those heads dropped.

The Mavericks were unrelenting in their attack with 19 fast break points and 52 points in the paint. Orlando had its opportunities, but went 18 for 40 (36 points) in the paint and 8 for 41 from three.

It did not matter that Dallas made only two more three-pointers -- the tally was Orlando was 6 for 32 through three quarters and Dallas was 8 for 23—Orlando simply struggled to make shots.

"When we share the ball, it looks really dang good," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Sunday's loss. "We just have to find a way to put the ball in the basket. . . . I thought we got some great looks. We were 18 for 40 in the paint. That's hard to overcome. A lot of those missed shots lead to run outs because you have guys at the rim. We have to make sure we finish. Go in there aggressively and go in there and finish the play."

And all those misses drained their energy. Many of them were good looks or good shots around the basket. The kind of shots the Magic need.

But everything was missing and the team was feeling the frustration of doing right and not getting the reward. And that affected the part of the game that matters.

With Paolo Banchero out, the Orlando Magic indeed have to find their identity again. They have to simplify everything and strip down to their basics so they can build back up again. As players fill into new roles and are expected to do more, they have to be careful not to do too much.

That adjustment is proving too great so far.

"It's definitely an adjustment not just for me but for everyone," Franz Wagner said after Sunday's loss. "Obviously, we play a lot through him. Defenses plan a lot for him. It changes our playing style a whole lot. We've got to adjust to it."

Orlando Magic have to lift each other up

For this Orlando Magic team, that identity should be simple. It should be the thing that brings them the most joy—playing and working together.

This is a group that has always lifted each other up. It is always a group that works together and cares for each other. There is no finger-pointing—and there is no finger-pointing now. But the intensity and physicality that defines this team and the joy that they take in stopping others has gone.

The team has to recommit to its defensive identity to have a chance with the offense struggling to find its way. The offense cannot affect that defensive intensity.

Orlando is clearly still emotionally struggling with the injuries the team is facing. And the injury to the most important player hits doubly hard.

Every mistake feels magnified and the team is seemingly feeling every mistake as they happen. That has to change.

The feeling of negativity has to change. The Magic have to get back on track and it starts with themselves.

Jamahl Mosley said plainly talking before the Magic's game against the Cavaliers. Losing Banchero sucks. There is no getting around it.

"It's definitely not easy," Franz Wagner said after Sunday's loss. "The NBA isn't easy. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. It's obviously a tough situation with P being out. We have to find a way. I thought we started pretty well. Understand that teams will make runs and trust we'll make our run too. Then we're not down 20-something going into the half."

There is no time to mourn. The team has the tools it needs to be competitive and give themselves a chance to win.

But right now, they are not playing like it. Right now they are playing like a wounded, battered team seemingly in a daze over what they lost in their teammate.

Forget that Banchero will likely return from this injury sometime near Christmas or New Year's Day. This team still has an opportunity to compete and to win.

But they cannot do that until they find their joy again. They cannot do that until they believe again.