ATLANTA -- You could take your pick of plays of how the Orlando Magic simply looked a step slow on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Like this one in the third quarter: Nickeil Alexander-Walker took a transition three that missed off the back iron. The Orlando Magic had two players in the paint and watched it bounce away from both of them toward the sideline. Instead of the two players pouncing on it, they gambled that it would roll out of bounds.
No luck. Dyson Daniels was there too and tapped it to Onyeka Okongwu to finish at the rim. That made it a 24-point game early in the third quarter. A sign of the team's frustrating effort reminiscent of the dark days in December and January.
It was indicative of whot his team can still be if they are not attentive.
The Magic suffered a sloppy and unfocused effort from the beginning of their 124-112 defeat that ended their seven-game win streak. There were plenty of other examples of how the Magic were slow and on their heels.
It might have been one of those nights that happen in a long season. But it served as a reminder that even though the Magic have been at their best, their worst is still not too far away.
"It happens. It's a long season. You don't always play your best," Desmond Bane said in the locker room after Monday's game. "I don't think we had our necessary juice on both ends of the floor. A little sloppy on offense, losing shooters on defense. Didn't really dictate much and kind of allowed them to do whatever they wanted."
The Hawks built as much as a 29-point lead. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 24 of his career-high 41 points in the first half and made 9 of 14 from deep, escaping the Magic's attention and defense at seemingly every turn.
It was a game that defied the play from the last several weeks as the Magic rose to the 5-seed. It was a reminder that their attention to detail and high level of play take constant effort.
A battle of wills
Jalen Suggs said it plainly after shootaround on Monday. This game would be a battle of wills.
As much as anything, the Orlando Magic's intensity, effort and will were on full display throughout this winning streak. That is what defined the team for much of the team's playoff run. That was what seemed to be lost during the team's frustrating December and January swoon.
That was what was missing Monday night.
"It was the little things within this game," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's loss. "We were definitely a step slow tonight. Fifteen offensive rebounds for 19 points, turn it over 11 times for 17 [points]. Those are things you aren't getting away from. We didn't win the possession game. That's what they thrive on, and that's why they were able to get out and get ahead."
There were plenty of sloppy plays like Jalen Suggs turning it over twice on miscommunications with teammates to open the third quarter -- missing Wendell Carter on a pass-ahead in transition and then miscommunicating with Desmond Bane on an inbounds that led to a Dyson Daniels steal and Nickeil Alexander-Walker bucket.
Those miscommunications were abundant throughout the game on both sides of the floor.
The Magic have been very much on the same page for much of the last month since the All-Star break. It was odd to see them so off-kilter.
"They came with a little more energy than we did," Tristan da Silva said in the locker room after Monday's loss. We let their pressure dictate, and we didn't do that. That's usually what we like to do. Be physical, be controlling defensively. We didn't really have that."
After going through all the difficulties earlier in this year, they have to hope this is not a return to some bad habits.
Just one game?
There are no moral victories. Especially in March in the middle of a tight playoff race. The Orlando Magic still lost the game and trailed by 20-plus for the majority of the game.
But a late push to cut the deficit to 14 points midway through the fourth quarter showed that they understood what went wrong int eh first 3.5 quarters and how they need to play.
In that run, the Magic buckled down to play defense and moved the ball to get easy baskets. It was exactly how the Magic have played the last few weeks. It is certainly still in them, even in a bad game.
Of course, the Atlanta Hawks came out of the timeout and got an open three for Nickeil Alexander-Walker and then followed a miss from Jevon Carter with another three from Alexander-Walker. That made it a 20-point game and led Jamahl Mosley to clear his bench and prepare for Tuesday's game back home.
"We didn't really play our game," Tristan da Silva said in the locker room after Monday's loss. "We have to make sure we get back to what we do and what's been working for us and not let this one game discourage what we're looking forward to."
Orlando never could get its footing throughout the game. The Hawks always seemed just out of reach.
Orlando is certainly not going to let one poor game derail their season or their good vibes -- even iwth the Oklahoma City Thunder waiting for them at the Kia Center on Tuesday. But the loss was a reminder of how careful this team still needs to be.
"We can dwell on it, but it is not going to do us no good," Wendell Carter said after Monday's loss. "We can have our conversations about what we can do better, what we have to make sure what we don't do tomorrow going into the rest of the season. We don't want to dwell on it too much or let it compound. We know those guys are good and on a roll. We move. We have another one tomorrow."
Effort is not a given with this team in the same way it was in previous seasons. And even if fatigue was ultimately a factor in the Magic being such a step slow, the Magic have had far too many games like this that end in such bitter disappointment.
The Magic's loss was ultimately not the issue. It was that the team lost without energy that stings the most. It was a stark reminder that the Magic still have flaws to overcome and fight against.
The best version and the worst version of this team are still fairly close to each other.