The Orlando Magic had plenty of reason to be frustrated after the first half of their game against the Washington Wizards.
Fouls had left the game completely disjointed and without any flow or rhythm. Nobody seemed able to get anything going. The Wizards found pockets to attack, getting to the line and scoring in enough bunches to keep the game close. A pair of baskets by Franz Wagner late in the second half gave the Magic a two-point lead.
Considering they were facing a 9-46 Wizards team, everyone wanted to see more. If the Magic were indeed turning a corner as they prepare for the final quarter of their season, they needed a statement comfortable win. Not something that would raise concerns or frustrations—particularly with the Cleveland Cavaliers due up on Tuesday.
Magic fans on social media may have been wringing their hands unnecessarily at halftime and frustration may have been written on some of their faces, but the team was in the locker room focused and understanding what comes next.
There was no "rah-rah" speech, according to Paolo Banchero. They knew they were the better team. It was just a matter of going out and proving it.
Orlando came out of the locker room on a 19-4 run to take a 19-point lead in the third quarter. The team would expand the lead to 26, giving the worried fans exactly what they were looking for: a comfortable, blowout win in which the confidence flowed, the shots went in and everything worked.
The Magic overcame their frustration and took care of their business in a 110-90 victory at Kia Center on Sunday.
"I think it was a game where we felt like we should win," Paolo Banchero said after Sunday's win. "There was no reason we shouldn't win this game. We just had to come focused and ready to play. We're a good team. They're not a very good team. I think we were the better team. So we played like it and made some plays in the second half to win."
The Magic have had some struggles beating the teams they should. After Friday's frustrating finish, there were some concerns about the team's ability to bounce back.
Orlando's success depends on how the team approaches and overcomes these known frustrations.
That was the battle the Magic had to make in the first half and what they overcome in the second half.
Orlando went from 40.9 percent shooting and 2 for 10 from three in the first half to 47.8 percent shooting and 9 for 22 (40.9 percent) in the second half. The team's defense remained stout keeping the Wizards from breaking out offensive or finding its own rhythm, outscoring them 32-17 in the third quarter and 61-43 in the second half to put the game away.
The Magic answered and found their rhythm to score this must-have victory.
"I like the way we responded. The other night took its toll on us a little bit," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Sunday's win. "It wasn't always pretty. But that third quarter, guys stepped up and our defense stepped up and we were able to run and get some easy baskets."
Finding their rhythm again
As Banchero said, this is a good team when they have everything flowing. It has been frustrating not to see everything working that way. And the Magic's frustration is as likely a cause for the team not meeting its goals as anything else.
Orlando has looked more and more like its normal self since the All-Star Break. Its defensive intensity is enough to keep it in and win plenty of games down the stretch.
The Magic held the Wizards to 90 points and a 92.8 defensive rating, marking four straight games in which they held opponents to less than 110 points per 100 possessions. This is the first such streak the team has had since early January.
Orlando always wants its defense to lead to its offense. So, with the team scoring 113.4 points per 100 possessions—and 122.0 points per 100 possessions in the second half—they were able to push ahead.
The Magic brought the urgency and attention they have lacked at points this season. That is how a better team puts away a weaker opponent.
"Just that we needed to play with a sense of urgency today," Anthony Black said after Sunday's win. "Obviously we had the slow start, did a good job defensively in the first half but our offense came alive in the second half, we started stringing together three or four stops in a row and we went on a good run."
Still fighting their demons
As good as the Orlando Magic were for long stretches, the team still faced those regular frustrations. The team still struggled to shoot. Giving up 16 of the 22 free throws Washington took in the first half got several players frustrated. Wendell Carter picked up a technical foul in the third quarter.
The Magic are constantly fighting against themselves in many ways. The Wizards were not strong enough or good enough to put up much resistance. The only way they would compete is if the Magic settled for jumpers or got too frustrated to focus on defense.
Those moments happened. The game started with the Orlando Magic needing to lock back in after their own mistakes cost them against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
This Magic team is still learning and still fighting against its expectations and where the team thinks it should be. It is still trying to reach that mark.
"Any time you are winning, you are learning," Mosley said after Sunday's win. "This moment, you learn the game but you also learn from lessons from the last game. What do you need to do? What focus do you need to have? Where do you need to have your attention? What's the energy you need to have coming out in the beginning of the game as well as the third quarter? And being able to finish a game. I think that's very important for our group as we continue to push into this month."
The Magic are finding that more and more lately. Still, it is easy to see Orlando indulge its bad habits and its worst impulses. Something the team still wrestles with on a game-to-game basis.
Orlando knows how good it can still be. The team knows the confidence it can gain from making shots as it did in the second half and what it is capable fo doing. But the team can also see what happens the faucet runs dry and when the team continues to come up empty.
This is a team that can trail the Wizards near halftime and lose a 19-point lead in a quarter to the Grizzlies just as easily as it can build a massive lead on any night.
Whether the Magic succeed or not depends on how they confront these demons and this adversity.
Sunday the Magic aced that test. There will be bigger tests ahead.