The Orlando Magic have been one of the pleasant surprises in the NBA this season. Led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, they have been in contention throughout the season in the Eastern Conference, and should finish within the top-6 and out of the Play-In Tournament. And if they continue playing as they have over the last couple of months, they’ll be one of the teams that others will want to avoid in the postseason.
Magic Win Again, Now In 4th Place In The Eastern Conference
Paolo Banchero drops a triple-double to lead the @OrlandoMagic to their 5th straight win and 8th over the last 10 🪄📈
20 PTS | 10 REB | 11 AST pic.twitter.com/EMnon0qsvW
— NBA (@NBA) March 22, 2024
January was unkind to Orlando. They entered the month six games over .500, and were sitting in 4th place in the East. But they went 6-10 during the 31-day span, and had fallen to 24-23 and into 7th place before closing the month with a win over the Spurs.
The Magic haven’t done a whole lot of losing since. They’ve played 22 games since the start of February, and have won 17 of them. The hot streak saw them surge all the way back into 5th place before Thursday’s NBA action, which went Orlando’s way in more ways than one.
On the schedule were the New Orleans Pelicans, who too have been one of the better teams in the league over the last couple of months. But the Magic were able to remain in control throughout the contest, eventually winning by a margin of 121-106.
Magic Won’t Leave Orlando Until Next Month
The Orlando Magic:
— 42-28
— 4th seed in the East
— 35-1 when leading after the 3rd quarter
— Have now won 5 games in a row
All of this while led by a guy in year 2. pic.twitter.com/VWCqtsHrK1
— PaoloMuse (@PaoloBMuse) March 22, 2024
They got more help from the Denver Nuggets. They were able to defeat the New York Knicks, who entered the day in the 4th spot in the East, but had just a half-game lead on Orlando. But they give up that spot for at least a day or two, and the Magic are now in the top-4 for just the second time since January 1st.
They’ll have some tough tests coming up over the next week. The Kings, Warriors, and Clippers all loom on the schedule, but Orlando will be lucky enough to play each of those games at home. In fact, they won’t leave central Florida again until April 3rd, which will start a short, two-game road trip. After playing the Kings on Saturday, they will enjoy three nights off before Kawhi Leonard and company come to town next Wednesday.
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