Paolo Banchero was rightfully upset.
The Toronto Raptors had pushed and prodded, living in the Orlando Magic’s chests and preventing them from moving. Frustration was boiling as shots refused to go down, and the Raptors took advantage.
Banchero was doing his part as the nominal center to try to set a screen to free up a teammate. He moved into Davion Mitchell’s space and set his feet. But Mitchell got there quickly and flung himself into Banchero perhaps before he could get set.
Offensive foul on Banchero. Another foul. Another moment where the Magic could not gain separation and could not find space to breathe.
The Magic are looking for that space to breathe because right now they are flailing. And they are feeling the frustration of it all.
They had watched a strong and free-flowing offensive start build a 21-point lead and give way to a 15-point third-quarter deficit and eventually a 109-93 defeat. They watched the Raptors score 40 points in the third quarter to flip the game on its head while the offense sputtered.
Banchero was rightfully upset and frustrated. He picked up a technical foul as the frustration boiled over. They are still seeking that room to breathe and some answers after another hot start gave way to a lifeless offensive effort to a crash on defense.
The team is down right now and searching for answers. Answers that are not coming so easily as injuries and illness rip through the roster. They can only move forward and try to find themselves again.
Because right now this team has lost a bit of itself.
“I think as a team we’ve dealt with a lot of adversity over the years,” Banchero said after Tuesday’s loss. “It’s not something we’re not used to. e always find a way to make it out. I’m sure this won’t be any different even though it looks pretty bad right now. We’ll make it.”
That is the only hope the team can have. Especially with the prospect of reinforcements returning soon. The Magic only show up in glimmers.
Playing Magic Basketball
The things that built their early lead are what defines Orlando Magic basketball.
They got downhill to the paint, forced the defense to collapse and kicked out for threes. They finished around the rim and were aggressive on their drives. They defended and turned the ball over getting out in transition. They were the dominant and more physical team.
The Magic can see they still have it in them to play with the energy.
Whether it was the injuries that gutted the roster, leaving them once again with just eight available players after Jonathan Isaac left at halftime with an illness that also claimed Cole Anthony, or whether they just lost their mojo, the Toronto Raptors took control from there.
They did all the things the Magic typically do so well.
Orlando gave away the early 21-point lead as their hot shooting subsided. The Magic gave up 40 points in the third quarter as their five-point halftime lead turned into a 15-point deficit. They had 33 points in the middle two quarters after the 37-point outburst.
But those 40 points—which included 6-for-9 shooting from three and eight points off five turnovers—sting the most.
The Magic had no answer. And lacking that answer has been the consistent theme of this past week. The Magic’s defense has not been the backstop and with it has gone the team’s resiliency.
“We have to do a better job answering runs. Started making shots, we started giving them good looks. I think the run got us,” Anthony Black said after Tuesday’s loss. “We’ve been tough all year playing through things. In the game, we’ve got to do a good job staying locked in on the main thing. Even though we were up however many points, the run started feeling heavy on us. As we mature, we’ll learn how to play through those runs and have better answers for those runs.”
