The Orlando Magic found themselves down again in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs blitzed them, making every shot and spooking the Magic's interior with Victor Wembanyama's size and presence in the paint.
It was a rough start for the Magic trailing by 16 points once again after one quarter, leaving a huge uphill climb.
Starts have been a sore subject for the Magic. But things are trending in the right direction, I suppose, and the team responded with a 40-23 second quarter to take a one-point lead into halftime.
The first half showed the wild swings this Magic team can go through. It was the same thing that happened in the two games in Europe against the Memphis Grizzlies. It has been part of a frustrating trend.
Orlando does not quite know what it is going to get game-to-game right now. But the team also does not quite know what it will get quarter-to-quarter.
This team is still seeking a 48-minute effort with none of the devastating lulls that have frustrated this team throughout the season. No easy task with a trip to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on the schedule for Tuesday.
"I think that's important with anything in the league, no matter who you are going up against," Jalen Suggs said after practice Monday. "Being how talented they are and how well they challenge you, it is that. Forty-eight minutes of being locked in on details, playing with effort and intensity. You do those things, you give yourself an opportunity to win in clutch moments."
Inconsistency quarter-to-quarter
The Orlando Magic have had this frustration for a while now.
Orlando has lost a quarter by 10 points or more in 16 of the last 24 games.
The Magic have not gone consecutive games without losing a quarter by 10 points since the games against the Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans. Both of those games came down to the fourth quarter, where the Magic lost against the Sixers with just 12 points in the final quarter, and the Magic won when they outscored the Pelicans 37-20 to race ahead.
That is the kind of up-and-down play the Magic have struggled with. They do not know if they are due for a 40-point quarter or one where they struggle to hit 20 points. Each one seems likely, even within the same game.
The Magic were able to answer a 16-point deficit after one quarter on Sunday. But that has been a rare exception. Orlando is playing from behind a lot, earning the most wins in the league after trailing by 10 points.
That is the inconsistency that has marked this team. A bad quarter and a large deficit feel right around the corner.
The win over the Miami Heat last week was the Orlando Magic's first non-clutch win since the NBA Cup victory over the Heat.
And even in that game last week, the Magic lost the second quarter by 16 points after building a good lead in the opening quarter. And in the NBA Cup game against the Heat, the Magic lost the first quarter by 13 points.
They needed to get off to better starts and led the Cleveland Cavaliers by 10 points in the first quarter on the road, only to lose the second quarter by 15 in what turned into a runaway win for the Cavs.
They did not lose any quarter by more than 10 points in the win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday. But they trailed by 13 entering the fourth quarter and rallied behind a 44-21 fourth quarter to score the win.
It has always been one step forward, one step back for this team. And it is always difficult to climb uphill in the NBA.
Playing catch-up
It has felt like the Orlando Magic have been playing without a margin for error for a few months now. And it is easy to see how some of their problems can snowball when they are struggling to play catch-up.
Orlando has these massive lulls in both offense and defense that become difficult to track down.
The game is long enough and this team is talented enough to remain competitive. They rally and can put together those good quarters. But a devastating one always seems around the corner. And it is hard to track down when they will happen, even if the first quarters have been the biggest issue.
The Magic should know what kind of game they are in for pretty quickly when they face the Thunder tonight. This team is looking for a bit of confidence.
"They are the best team in the league for a reason," Wendell Carter said after shootaround Tuesday. "Top five on both sides of the ball. We've got to be decisive with everything that we do. We have to step into all of our shots with confidence. When the first good shot is available, just take it and take it with confidence."
The Magic are using their game against the Thunder as something of a measuring stick. Nothing should get a team to focus more than playing the defending champions. Even focus and intensity have been issues for the Magic.
Orlando knows what it is capable of doing. It has seen it even with these consistency struggles. But to win in the playoffs takes a 48-minute effort. There can be no let down.
That is why this is a problem the Magic need to nip sooner than later.