In a season where some has gone right, but most has gone wrong, the journey for the Orlando Magic continued along a beaten path as the Magic were defeated on Wednesday night 108-104 at the hands of the Detroit Pistons.
With the score at 101-98 with 2:02 left in the game, the Magic had a chance to tie the contest with a 3-pointer. After a penetrating drive from guard Evan Fournier, the defense collapsed around him, stranding a wide open Aaron Gordon who was spotted up on the left wing and ready to fire.
The ball came to Gordon and it looked good out of his hand, but went in and out, leaving the net unswished and the Amway Center crowd in a collective groan.
It was a missed opportunity to tie the game and retake momentum that slipped through as the Pistons were able to make the plays down the line.
“We should have won,” Magic forward Aaron Gordon said. “I don’t like saying that. I would rather say we won tonight for these reasons, but we didn’t. We lost for a number of reasons.”
In their previous five games, the Magic had eclipsed 110 points in each game, shooting 54 percent from the field during that stretch. It was not the offense that let the Magic down tonight, but rather a lapse in late-game defensive responsibilities and an inability to make open shots.
The Magic got off to a poor start, but were able to recover to take a 51-44 lead into the locker room at halftime. The scoring was balanced, with eight players scoring at least two points and the team had an organized defensive effort that usually results in Magic victories.
When the Magic concede less than 100 points, their record is 22-8.
When they allow more than 100? 11-37.
Detroit approached and surpassed that line of demarcation with ease in the fourth quarter, eventually overtaking Orlando’s lead.
Reggie Jackson torched the Magic for 24 points on 7-for-18 shooting and four assists. He scored 18 of those 24 in the second half, with multiple drives past Evan Fournier for layups as the Magic second unit was unable to provide the necessary defensive help under the basket to develop any kind of defensive stalwart.
“We came in and it’s a tough team that has been playing well over their last five games,” Jackson said. “They won four out of five and we knew they were going to try to punch us in the mouth especially on their home court. We knew it was going to be a tough one for us and we are just happy to come out with a win especially with the way that we battled all night.”
The Magic had a balanced overall offensive effort as five players scored in double figures with Evan Fournier leading the bunch with 19 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Guard Victor Oladipo added 16 points with three assists and a steal while Elfrid Payton chipped in with 17 points and five assists.
Nikola Vucevic has been nursing a strained groin and missed 13 games in the past month, but looked sharp tonight coming off the bench with 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting as well as 13 rebounds.
Fournier had a small tweak in his ankle in the first half, but shrugged it off as a non-issue and was able to come back in the second half firing.
“We would play good ball for five or six minutes and then we start losing it,” Fournier said. “We start losing it and we start holding the ball, bad spacing, no movement and they made a run. But, then, once again, we come back, same story every time.”
For the Magic this season it has been the same story. When they defend and move the ball, they have success and have shown over the past five games that when operating at all cylinders can be a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.
However, old habits die hard and in the final four games of a long season, the Magic are only playing for pride.
If their inconsistencies were not as glaring from game-to-game, they would be playing for more than that.
And when asked about his emphasis on teaching his team to defend and defend well, as well as try repair the inconsistencies that have wrought this team since its promising 19-13 start head coach Scott Skiles kept it short, but not necessarily sweet.
“I haven’t been able to do that,” Skiles said. “Obviously.”
The loss to the Pistons was again a lesson for the Magic. One they have had the chance to learn time and time again.
