The Orlando Magic came from behind this time to give themselves an opportunity to win. They still fell short to fall to 0-3 on the young season.
The Orlando Magic continued to struggle late in games. Or struggle throughout an entire game.
The 48-minute effort of sharpness and precision Scott Skiles has been searching for is not there yet for this young Magic team. And after a 92-87 loss to the Chicago Bulls at United Center, their record stands at 0-3 with late-game losses in about every way a team could imagine.
This one came in the slow burn, the comeback fallen short.
The Magic trailed by 15 points in the third quarter after seeing their offense become lethargic and stagnant. The Bulls slowed the game down and the Magic’s inability to hit shots — they shot just 38.9 percent in the game — did not help matters.
Orlando fell behind and was doing all it could to stay above water and within distance of the lead.
The Magic found something though in trying players at the end of the bench. Jason Smith and Shabazz Napier helped drive the Magic through the fourth quarter. They got the ball moving again and dug out defensive stops to get back into the game.
Napier’s floater with about two and a half minutes to play brought the Magic within one point with the chance to win. That is all a team could ask for. No matter how poorly Orlando had played, it still could win the game.
Chicago retook control though. The Bulls calmly retook the lead, grabbing a few key offensive rebounds and making shots and free throws. The Magic failed to respond, their bench crew falling back to their mean.
The comeback effort and the quarter of brilliance fell short. Just like the Magic had time and time again before in this short season.
Orlando continues to show flashes of brilliance but remains a long way from a completed product.
Evan Fournier scored a game-high 19 points and Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic.
Orlando had a new way of losing. Another opportunity lost. Another lesson learned.
The Magic had their defensive grit tested and they dug in and found a way to keep the game within reach. That is something Scott Skiles surely would be happy with.
He would be happier with a win. And so all the hard work remain unrewarded.
