The standard remains the same for the Orlando Magic, even without their stars

The Orlando Magic's first game without Franz Wagner did not look much different. The team still upheld the standard and effort they will need to survive and thrive.

The Orlando Magic played their first game since the injury to Franz Wagner. And they aced the test, besting the Phoenix Suns and learning their standard is still the standard.
The Orlando Magic played their first game since the injury to Franz Wagner. And they aced the test, besting the Phoenix Suns and learning their standard is still the standard. | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic had a moment to give in to their frustration and grieve the temporary loss of Franz Wagner on Saturday as the news broke in the afternoon. As the team gathered for their shootaround and walkthrough, they showed their support for Wagner as he prepared to recover from this difficult injury.

That was all the time they were allowed. They had a game on Sunday night. And the message from their coach was pretty clear.

Wagner was out of the lineup, but the standard remained the same. They would still need to compete on defense and play with intensity and effort. No one should be able to tell them they cannot win.

Orlando certainly is not going into any of these games expecting to lose. That is not how they are built.

Give this team some daylight and let them fight and scrap their way into a game, and their defense will show up and wear you down and their playmakers will find the spotlight. That is who they are.

That is what Jalen Suggs did throughout the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of his 26 points to try to get the Magic over the top. He buried two 3-pointers, staring at the Kia Center crowd after each one as the Magic took the lead. Each shot seemed more audacious than the last.

Goga Bitadze gobbled up every rebound around the basket, including a critical one off an Anthony Black miss that gave the Magic a five-point lead with less than 24 seconds to play. He had a career night with a season-high 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.

Everyone played their part pulling it all together to stand in for Wagner and what was not on the floor. The Magic were themselves.

Everyone defended down the stretch to hold on for a 115-110 victory at the Kia Center on Sunday. That is who this team is.

That is not going to change no matter who is in or out of the game. The Magic were going to play their brand of basketball.

"It sucks to go through in the moment," Jalen Suggs said after Sunday's win. "It showed in the first half, trying to do other things don't lead to results. I think it's very important to keep coming out here and playing basketball, having fun, trusting the man next to you and just enjoying the group.

"It's the same team that came into the year that just won 10 of the last 11. It's still the same team that is undefeated at home. None of those things changed and therefore you don't have to change anything else or how we are approaching the game. Just be more detailed and play harder for missing two all-stars."

Everyone can still acknowledge things will be difficult with both of the Magic's young stars out of the lineup. Everyone will have to be tighter with the details and that margin for error might be smaller. Hitting tough shots or forcing the defense to load up and make plays might be a bit tougher. The Magic are going to have to find new ways to create offense.

But it is not impossible. And that might be the most important thing for this team. That belief in what they do and each other will be vital.

Their philosophy and their core identity have to remain the same no matter who is in or out of the lineup. The tam's resilience and grit have to remain the same.

Magic never blink

The Orlando Magic could have easily faltered trailing by 12 points early in the first quarter or going down 11 early in the third quarter. The Phoenix Suns shot 47.0 percent from the floor and 13 for 28 from three (46.4 percent). Those are usually a formula for the Magic to fall apart. Six early turnovers further buried them in the hole.

But Orlando fought back every time. The team erased double-digit deficits in the second quarter and third quarters to make this a game and give themselves a chance to win.

And all they needed was a chance. All they needed was the will to keep fighting tooth and nail to stay in the game. That defines them as much as anything.

"It's our defensive focus, knowing what we need to do, following the gameplan," Jamahl Mosley said after Sunday's win. "It does talk a lot about the grit of this team. No matter what is happening throughout the game, they have the ability and the mental strength to know that when the fourth quarter comes in, we have to turn up. That's what these guys did."

The formula for the Magic has been pretty simple. Use their defense to wear on teams and find the energy to squeeze some offense. Turn defense into offense—21 Phoenix turnovers for 23 Orlando points—and just fight harder than the other team.

That explains how the Magic got 14 offensive rebounds for 20 second-chance points. Bitadze had nine of those offensive rebounds helping feed his career night.

The Magic have to find those extra possessions and win those hidden points and possessions to make this work. The Magic found it attacking the paint (48 points), getting ot the foul line (30 free throws, but only 19 makes) and forcing turnovers.

Magic play by committee

This is who the Orlando Magic are. Without their star players, they have to be more of who they are. And they have to find players who will step up into the spotlight like Cole Anthony who scored 14 off the bench in some of his first extended minutes.

Everyone had to pull their weight. It was not going to be just one player replacing Wagner.

"Cole , Caleb , Jett , the green goblins, they held it down for us," Goga Bitadze said after Sunday's win. "It's hard. I've been getting minutes all season, thankfully. Some games you are going to get more touches and score more points. But these guys haven't been getting consistent minutes. They changed the game and helped us get the win. We've been saying it, next man up mentality. It was really tested today and they really delivered."

That goes to what Mosley has said all year too. The Magic are not a Paolo Banchero team or a Franz Wagner team, it is a by-committee team. The ball will find the player it needs to find and they will step up when they are needed. That is what the Magic are asking for.

That request has not changed. Orlando wants its players to play confidently, move the ball and find the open man. It took a team effort to make it all work, clearing the path for Suggs to take over in the fourth quarter with 14 of his 26 points in the final quarter.

Everyone had a role to play and will have a role to play. Everyone had to be ready when their number was called. And it will take the team doing that repeatedly.

"So proud of everybody. When your two best players go out, two players who are involved so much, especially in our offense, it's really hard to replicate that with one person and one person replacing each of those roles," Jalen Suggs said after Sunday's win. "We spoke about it earlier today and making this a group effort. We all chip in and cover that gap that they left behind. Everyone who stepped on the floor tonight was ready to play and played with intensity."

At the end of the day, it was about the Magic playing with intensity and focus. It was about the Magic understanding their identity and who they are.

For the team to be successful, they need everyone pulling together. They need to stick to their identity.

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