Magic Has to 'Execute Down the Stretch', Says Coach Jamahl Mosley
The Orlando Magic lost its third game in a row on Saturday night against the team who is now tied for the top seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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The Magic was down just six points with only 2:14 left in the game, but it couldn't bring it all the way back, as a couple mistakes down the stretch allowed the Thunder to hold its lead. Head coach Jamahl Mosley talked about being able to close out games in his postgame interview.
"You have to give them credit for how they played. They have an MVP type player in Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander)," Mosley said. "When we had it down to six, there was a turnover here, an offensive rebound there... we talk about not beating ourselves, and those were the things that it came down to in those moments. We battled, we fought, but you've gotta take care of the little things in those situations. Making sure that we come up with those rebounds, and that we take care of the basketball, and execute down the stretch."
The Thunder finished the game with only nine turnovers while the Magic finished with 16. Some of these mistakes down the stretch can be taken with a grain of salt, as the Magic is without many of its key performers because of injury at the moment. But Mosley has said in the past that he does not want the team to use injuries as an excuse. Instead, he wants the Magic to learn to play without those guys so the team can be better when they get back.
The Magic will be looking to snap their three-game losing streak in its next game on Monday against Julius Randle and the red-hot New York Knicks. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET in Madison Square Garden.
