Orlando Magic's most important weapon keeps making history

The Orlando Magic know who they are.

They are not trying to outscore anybody. Three-point shooting is a constant adventure for them. They are not the traditional team that lives at the top of the standings, it seems.

Sure, Franz Wagner is putting up impressive and All-Star-like numbers. They need every single one of those counting stats.

Their path to victory is on their defense.

After all, what NBA team is going to win a game scoring 94 points like they did in a 94-90 win over the Indiana Pacers? What team is able to score on a defense that gets stronger in the fourth quarter? How can a team score 12 points in the fourth quarter and still have a chance to win?

The Magic have made a big statement on defense. And that is only growing as they defeated the Phoenix Suns on Monday, 109-99. That kept a streak alive of six straight games holding teams to less than 100 points.

It is the longest such streak in the NBA since Dec. 2018 and the longest streak for the Magic since Nov. 2016. This just does not happen in the NBA in the modern high-paced, 3-point shooting era. Orlando is making history with its defense.

"I don't think we even understand really how amazing it is," Jonathan Isaac said after practice Tuesday. "For us to be scoring one game 95, what NBA team wins scoring 95 points? Our defense really is that good. What we focus on and what we take pride in, the better we become."

This is a team built on its defense. That is what defines them. That is their bread and butter. And they are paying off that. Their best highlights are not on offense, they are on defense.

It is in plays like the one in the third quarter Monday when the Magic needed some energy and Goga Bitadze blocked Royce O’Neal at the rim leading to a fast-break that finished with Anthony Black feathering one of his career-high nine assists to Wagner for a two-handed jam.

It is in Jalen Suggs chasing down Tyus Jones from behind and sending a shot out of bounds. It is in Tristan Da Silva stonewalling a play as the low man. Or Black darting in for a steal as the Suns tried to get out of the hole.

Everything for this team starts with its defense. And for the most part, it has been a constant presence for this team even as they struggle with their offense.

"That's kind of our team identity," Anthony Black said after Monday's win. "That's what we start with first in the locker room is defense. The guards have been pressuring the ball a lot and the bigs and wings have done a good job in the paint protecting the rim and helping clean up our mistakes."

They rank second in the league in defensive rating, giving up 103.9 points per 100 possessions. During the team's six-game win streak, the Magic are giving up 95.6 points per 100 possessions.

Those team statistics are leading to some individual accolades too. According to data from Basketball Index, the Magic's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Franz Wagner are the top wing stoppers in their D-LEBRON metric and Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black are the top point of attack defenders in that metric.

That is probably a sign of how good the group has been. Even their bad games are impressive.

Monday's game saw the Magic give up 110.0 points per 100 possessions. That is a relatively poor performance for this team and it felt like the Magic were a step off their elite defensive selves. That mark would still rank eighth in the league in defensive rating.

They held Devin Booker and Tyus Jones to a combined 35 points and 12-for-31 shooting. Orlando was stifling, willing to bet that other players could not fill in for the injury-depleted Suns.

That is the standard the team has set.

“Every night it's who we are,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's win. “Defense travels. Whether we're making shots or missing shots, we have to make sure we are guarding the right way, defending the right way, communicating the right way. I think defense set the tone early for what we wanted to do, got us some easy baskets. We have to continue to sustain that effort.”

The Magic’s defense is the attraction, an amorphous and swarming blob of arms and intensity that few teams have found a way to deal with.

Considering the explosion of NBA offenses, this streak is a feat worth celebrating and noting. The Magic’s defense has been otherworldly this season.

The Magic have set a high bar for their defense. That is the expectation for everyone to defend at a high level. That is an essential part of the team’s identity.

Especially with star forward Paolo Banchero out, the Magic had to lean on this identity even more. The defense is shining as it always has. That was always how the Magic would not only survive but thrive.

They have had to double down on this defensive identity to help fill in for the injuries on the roster. And they still have a drive to get better.

"I don't think it's that impressive," Goga Bitadze said after practice Tuesday. "We know we can play defense at a high level. We've been more consistent with it. We have guys out. I think we are more locked in because we are missing those guys and need to lock in more defensively. Guys have done that. But if you look at our roster, anyone can guard. That's what we've done and how we've won the games."

The Magic have had to establish this defense because the offense needed some time to get going. But the team always knew defense was its ticket to success. That is what everyone has talked about and bought into from the start of the season, even with players who are not known for their defense.

And right now, the Magic’s defense is doing more than any of that. It is a force to be reckoned with.