The Orlando Magic needed just one shot to go in to create a spark after falling behind by 11 points in the third quarter.
A nine-point third quarter left the team struggling to keep pace. The team made only 2 of 20 3-point attempts through the middle two quarters. The Magic just needed a few shots to go down to regain some confidence and energy.
Slowly, Tristan da Silva made a three. Desmond Bane made another. Franz Wagner completed an and-1 play. The Magic were back in the game.
But like so many things this season, the Magic show plenty of promise, but they cannot put the pieces together. They cannot get the full picture. And they cannot get the wins that their process needs to feel complete.
The Magic got within three points but could not retake the lead. The Washington Wizards had an answer for every push, whether it was an Anthony Davis jumper or Kyshawn George hitting one off the dribble.
The Magic were playing from behind because of their cold shooting. They could not get the rock back up to the top as the Wizards won 103-94 at Kia Center, sending the Magic to a 0-4 record at home to start the season and 2-5 overall.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 24 points and six assists. He shot 10 for 18 from the floor and nearly willed the team back into the game. Desmond Bane added 20 poitns on 8-for-17 shooting, making four of his 10 3-point attempts.
Andhonty Davis led the Wizards with 27 points and nine rebounds. Kyshawn George had 22 points and made 4-for-8 from three. A.J. Dybantsa had 21 points.
The 3-pointer giveth, it taketh away
The Orlando Magic are shooting more threes.
A clear piece of Sean Sweeney's offensive design is to space the floor and give every player the green light to shoot with confidence.
Entering Monday's game, the Magic's 35.4 percent shooting from deep was 11th in the league!
But the Magic have been far too reliant on the three. Especially without Paolo Banchero, their ability to get into the paint and their ability to get to the foul line have decreased dramatically. The Magic must make threes to win.
That is a dangerous proposition. Teams need multiple ways to score.
Orlando opened the game shooting 6 for 11 from three. They made just two of their next 20 in the next two quarters.
The Magic made a few threes in the fourth quarter. But the team finished only 11-for-39 from three. Nearly half of the team's 80 field goal attempts were from deep.
A typically poor-shooting Wizards team found their range to make 9 of 24 from deep. They won the free-throw-line battle with 18 attempts to the Magic's 10.
The Magic are a team right now that gets its energy from its 3-point shooting. They got plenty of good looks. That has not been the problem this season. The Magic just need to be more consistent about making them.
Defense on the rebound?
The Orlando Magic have not looked like the strong defensive outfit they imagined they would be.
Some of that has to do with the turnovers -- another 18 turnovers for 22 points and 21 fast-break points allowed. Orlando's offense is making so many mistakes that the defense cannot keep up.
But there are still little signs the defense is rounding into something resembling a form. The physicality is certainly there. And the Magic stuck with their defense much longer than they have in previous games.
The Wizards finished with only 43 points in the second half for their 103 points. Washington posted a 112.0 offensive rating. The Magic did their job on defense to get a chance to win.
Orlando even secured the glass, giving up only six offensive rebounds and six second-chance points. The Magic won those hustle stats and even the possession game, minus the free throws.
The offense was not enough to keep up this time. This is a team still looking a bit for its identity.
Bench in the spotlight
The Orlando Magic's injuries have put their bench in focus.
The team last year struggled to get points off the bench -- also a product of the injuries. The team was a bit more bullish on its depth with Nikola Vucevic returning this year and the hope for better health. Tristan da Silva's shooting gave them a boost.
But Orlando's bench has struggled to open the season, averaging 32.8 points per game, good for 22nd in the league.
Injuries are part of that story. But Orlando is also short of scorers off the bench.
With Anthony Black out to manage his still-lingering ankle injury, this was a game that would test the Magic's depth in a major way.
Jevon Carter got his first extended minutes in the rotatin. Alex Morales came in for major minutes.
How they helped hold the boat steady would determine a lot in the game.
In the first half, the bench produced 15 points, but all five players who came off the bench had a positive plus/minus. In the second half, they produced just 10 points and Vucevic and da Silva dipped into the negative.
Da Silva finished with 10 points on 2-for-10 shooting in a bit of a back-to-Earth game for his outside shot.
It takes more than a good bench to score. But this was closer tothe effort the Magic will need to hold the boat steady. They will need more reliable scoring from their bench.
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