NBA Power Rankings: Magic Lose Ground After Inconsistent Week
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In what has been a resurgent season for the Orlando Magic, the team has hit a rough patch over the last few weeks, going 3-6 over its last nine games. Despite those recent struggles, Orlando still finds itself with a 19-13 record, which is good for fourth-place in the Eastern Conference standings ahead of Tuesday night's NBA action.
Over the last week, specifically, Orlando put up mixed results, winning two games against the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks, but losing two games to the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns. As a result, the Magic fell two spots from No. 11 to No. 13 in this week's edition of NBA.com's Power Rankings.
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"The Magic have slipped into the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency for what would be the 12th straight season, an amazing streak of anemia on that end of the floor. They’ve scored less efficiently than the league average (114.9 points per 100 possessions) in 11 of their last 13 games," John Schuhmann wrote.
"Those struggles are, not surprisingly, mostly about perimeter shooting, as they’ve also made no more than a third of their shots from outside the paint in 11 of their last 13 games. The Magic have the league’s biggest differential between their field goal percentage in the paint (58.5%, 11th) and their effective field goal percentage on shots from outside the paint (46.6%, 30th by a wide margin). They’re the only team without a player who’s shot the league average (36.5%) or better on at least 75 3-point attempts."
With a 5-4 record against teams in the West, and an 8-9 record against teams with winning records, Orlando still has a lot to prove despite its still-favorable standing in the East. A big test awaits the Magic on Tuesday night, as it takes on the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. The Warriors might not be the same dynasty team we've seen for the better part of a decade, but as long as Steph Curry is on the court, they'll continue to be a threat.
