The Orlando Magic have two more chances to salvage what remains of a six-game homestand, starting on Sunday with the season’s first meeting against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Orlando’s string of games at the Amway Center began on a positive note. The Magic overcame an 18-point deficit on March 11 to defeat Minnesota 118-110, sweeping the season series as well as ending the Timberwolves’ six-game winning streak at the time.
But after they had made significant defensive gains since the All-Star break, the next three outings left the Magic reeling, and at 18-53 they’re back to having the worst record in the Eastern Conference and just a hair ahead of the worst record in the league.
Orlando squandered a 17-point first-half lead in an eventual 116-114 overtime loss to Philadelphia on March 13, when the Sixers’ one-two punch of Joel Embiid and James Harden combined to make 28 free throws and score 61 points.
Two days later, Kyrie Irving scored a career-high and franchise-record 60 points. Irving totaled 41 of Brooklyn’s 86 first-half points as the Nets breezed to a historic 150-108 victory, the most points ever allowed by the Magic in a regular-season game and tied for the fourth-worst loss in team history.
A 134-120 defeat to Detroit happened Thursday as former Villanova Wildcat Saddiq Bey became the first player in Pistons history to post at least 51 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in a game. Bey scored 21 of his career-high 51 points in the first quarter, while Detroit shot 50 percent (47-for-94) from the floor and 47 percent (20-for-43) behind the arc.
The Magic played the Detroit game without starters Wendell Carter Jr. and Jalen Suggs — both dealing with ankle injuries — and key reserve Chuma Okeke (knee). And with the different lineups came disruptions on the defensive end.
“The combinations we put out there sometimes can have it look differently, understanding some of the rotations,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “But our guys know there’s no excuse in it, that we obviously (have a) next-man-up mentality. Again, I’m gonna go back and look at the film and understand when there could have been times that we could have come across the lane a little earlier, flying around more.”
Suggs remains questionable for Sunday. The Magic and Thunder are also scheduled to play Wednesday in Oklahoma City, one day after Orlando concludes its homestand with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
Orlando prepares for an injury-plagued Oklahoma City club that has lost eight in a row. The Thunder suffered their 50th defeat of the season on Friday, falling 120-108 in Miami as the Heat led by 15 points at halftime and 24 points through three quarters.
“I thought we ran through the finish line tonight,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said postgame Friday. “I thought we continued to play and I was pleased with that, that we were a 48-minute team tonight, but obviously needed to be a little sharper against a really, really good team.”
Against Miami, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points and former Florida Gator Tre Mann added 25 points in 28 minutes off the bench, making five 3-pointers, on 10-for-19 shooting. Aaron Wiggins added 17 points, Darius Bazley had 15 points for his fifth straight game in double figures, and 20-year-old center Aleksej Pokusevski posted a double-double with 10 points and a season-high 15 rebounds.
Seven players were listed as out against Miami — among them second- and third-leading scorers Luguentz Dort (shoulder surgery) and rookie Josh Giddey (hip) — but Oklahoma City is averaging 110.4 points per game during its current losing streak. Gilgeous-Alexander has been particularly effective on the offensive end, averaging 28.8 points and 7.6 assists over the last eight games.
