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By John Denton
Jan. 7, 2016
ORLANDO – It was a little more than three weeks ago when the Orlando Magic limped into Brooklyn – a place where they had never won before – riding a troubling two-game losing streak and coming off the worst defeat of the young season.
What happened next at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, however, reversed the Magic’s mojo and put the team back on track. On Dec. 14, Orlando went into Brooklyn and carved up the Nets with 53.9 percent shooting, nine 3-pointers and an eye-popping 24 assists in a convincing 105-82 victory. The Magic ultimately used that win to put together a stretch of seven victories in the next nine games for an impressive 10-win month – a first in nearly four years.
Fast forward to the present, and Orlando is riding its longest losing streak of the season at four games after dropping Wednesday’s home showdown against the Indiana Pacers, 95-86. In that game, the Magic’s offense was sluggish (six-of-31 shooting from 3-point range and just 19 assists) and sloppy (17 turnovers).
As fate would have it, Orlando (19-17) now heads back to Brooklyn again on Friday hoping that it can recreate the magic that it found at the Barclays Center 24 days ago against the rebuilding Nets (10-25).
If they can get the ball to moving the way they did three-plus weeks ago in Brooklyn – when the starters registered 19 of the 24 assists and five players scored in double figures – the Magic might be able to cure what has ailed them of late.
“Offensively, in the beginning (of the season) we had a little bit better pace, but now we’re starting to hold the dribble and we’re forced to take tough shots at the end of the shot clock,” said Magic forward Tobias Harris, who scored just six points in Wednesday’s loss. “We definitely have to get the basketball moving around the court a little more. I think that will help us.”
One thing that might help improve the Magic’s ball movement would be to get point guard Elfrid Payton back on the floor – a possibility on Friday if the bone bruise in his left ankle has healed enough to play. Payton, Orlando’s leader in assists this season at 5.9 a game, played the first 116 games of his career before missing the last two because of the ankle injury. In that game in Brooklyn in mid-December, Payton had 17 points, five assists and five rebounds and the Magic were a plus-14 in scoring in his 30 minutes on the floor.
The loss of Payton has been compounded by point guard C.J. Watson’s continued absence with pain in his calf and knee area. Watson, who was signed in the offseason for his veteran leadership and shot-making skills late in games, has been out since Nov. 11 (28 games).
Victor Oladipo, whose natural position is shooting guard, has filled in the past two games at point guard and has played well. Oladipo hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter on Wednesday after Orlando had started 0-of-12 and 1-of-19 from beyond the arc in the first two-plus quarters of the game. Oladipo has eight assists in the past two games, but the loss of Payton has slowed down the fluidity and movement of the Magic offense.
“It’s big because we have two point guards out now,” said Magic guard Evan Fournier, who played in pain on Wednesday (in-grown toenail) and scored 13 points on five-of-14 shooting. “We have Shabazz (Napier) and Vic, who is more of a (shooting guard), and it’s hard for us now. E.P. is a very good player, he plays defense and dishes the ball very well. His loss is big for us.”
Magic head coach Scott Skiles wanted to see more fight and fire from his team on Wednesday following three lopsided losses in Washington, Cleveland and Detroit. Orlando certainly played much harder against the Pacers and repeatedly rallied back to stay in the game. Still, Skiles was infuriated that Orlando couldn’t defend without fouling in the second half and the Magic were once again beaten by surrendering far too many offensive rebounds.
“The game is within five points, the (Amway Center) building starts to get into it a little, momentum is starting to shift and maybe we wrestle the lead away from them when a few shots go in. But we’ve got guys standing flat-footed when they’ve got guys jumping. That’s not progress,” Skiles stressed. “In some areas we were a little better. But that (getting outrebounded) is not progress.”
Progress, for the Magic’s sake, will hopefully come Friday night in Brooklyn as it did 3 1/2 weeks ago. Orlando’s last victory actually came against the Nets – 100-93 at the Amway Center on Dec. 30. They have yet to taste victory in 2016, and there would be no better place to do that than in Brooklyn where the Magic have already gotten themselves back on track recently.
“We’ve just got to get back to clicking,” Oladipo said of the Magic needing a confidence-building, feel-good victory. “We’ve got to get everybody back healthy, first and foremost, and then get back to what we do best. I believe that we will that we will. We’ve worked too hard not to (get back to winning). We’ve just got to be patient and keep working hard and it will come.”
