'Just Get One': Magic Believe Momentum Can Build After Snapping Losing Skid

MILWAUKEE – "Just get one."

According to Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, that message served as his team's beacon amid a frustrating stretch of five consecutive losses.

Cole Anthony, who'd told Magic on SI hours earlier on Saturday that Orlando would need to snap back to reality on a pivotal road trip, said the Magic were "hungry for a win."

Don't believe them? Take the final possession of their skid-snapping win, where after Banchero and Franz Wagner did enough defensively to force Damian Lillard to misfire on his game-winning step back three attempt, the Magic's duo of star forwards both threw impassioned fist pumps before dapping one another and chest-bumping.

Orlando got the result their resilience earned them, winning 111-109 after three straight losses of two or fewer points. Finally, the monkey was off the Magic's back.

Recap: Magic outlast Bucks to snap losing skid

"I'm not surprised," Wagner told Magic on SI in the winners' postgame locker room. "That's where our frustration came from in the losing streak, because we know that we're capable. Really proud of everybody to step up. I thought we made some really big plays down the stretch, and overall played a really good team game."

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he used two separate timeouts in the contest to remind his team of the desperation Orlando would be playing with. "They were looking for somebody to beat and tonight, it's you. They did that.

"If we'd have won the game, it would've been a steal. We could've won the game, but the other team in the other locker room, to me, played harder than us tonight."

Orlando's road trip carries on Monday evening with its first meeting against the Houston Rockets this season. And while Saturday evening was by no means perfect, when considering the premium wins have been at lately, the Magic gladly took a 1-0 start to their week-plus stint away from home.

"We just kept saying 'just get one' so we could build some momentum [and] get this thing rolling," Banchero said. "Happy that we got this first one on the road, and we've got four more. We've just got to come out with that same togetherness, same mindset and we should be fine."

More: What Mosley, Anthony and Banchero said after Magic's win over Bucks

So, how do the Magic bottle Saturday night and repeat it elsewhere?

That process involves extracting the positives, of which there were plenty, to use as a foundation to build a late-season run off of.

Orlando's defense was opportunistic with 21 points on turnovers, which helped minimize the pain felt from Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo's 63 combined points.

The Magic's shots were falling early, but when things cooled, they handled the task of playing with a lead well. And, they still managed enough makes to see themselves across the finish line.

Orlando was more in sync, with multiple voices crediting their poise and communication as crucial factors in the win.

"Just the whole spirit that we had all night, hopefully we can replicate that," Wagner said.

If the Magic are successful in stringing together results, the possibilities of what they could achieve are still wide open.

As of Sunday afternoon, a half-game separates Atlanta (30-34), Orlando (30-35) and Miami (29-34) in the Nos. 7, 8 and 9 seeds in the East.

With 17 games still to play, the Magic's 5.5 game deficit to No. 6 Detroit (35-39) may be a hill too tall to climb. But, Orlando can still fight for improved Play-In Tournament positioning and the right to hang a second consecutive Southeast Division championship banner.

Seeds 7-10 in each conference duel for the final two first-round playoff spots, but there is significant interest to be one of the two higher seeds. No. 7 hosts No. 8, with the winner going on to play the No. 2 seed in the first round. Barring a collapse, defending champion Boston will await the first East Play-In participant to secure a playoff series.

The loser of the No. 7-8 game then hosts the winner of the No. 9-10 game, with the winner getting a crack at the No. 1 team, which will likely be Cleveland.

But if a team starts in the No. 9-10 matchup, those teams are not afforded the same second chance the loser of the No. 7-8 is. Instead, it is a win-or-go-home scenario.

Banchero and Wagner continue looking more like their pre-injury selves. For an Orlando team that's going to finish the season without Jalen Suggs and Moe Wagner – key cogs in the Magic's machine – it can still have the two best players on the floor any given night.

In the single-game Play-In setting, that could be all the difference.

"We've dealt with a lot this year, everybody knows that," Banchero said. "I think after this All-Star break, we wanted to come out and give ourselves a chance to be in the postseason. It doesn't really matter what seed, we just want to be in there. So regardless of us dropping those games at home, we know that we're still in the running for the postseason.

"We have a chance to not only get in the postseason, but win our division," Banchero added. 'That's nothing that we take lightly. We want to accomplish that."

Now on the other side of their losing streak, the Magic are transitioning approaches, going from "just get one" to focusing on one game at a time. By controlling what they can control, Orlando believes the rest will play itself out.

"There's a lot of basketball to be played this season," Banchero said. "You can't let a tough five-game stretch define the rest of the season. You have an opportunity to make up for it every single night.

"I think us keeping that mentality of one game at a time, it's going to pay off."

Up Next

The Magic's travel to face the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. ET Monday, March 10 on the second stop of their five-game road trip.

Want more Orlando Magic coverage on Sports Illustrated?

Follow 'Orlando Magic on SI' on Facebook and like our page. Follow Magic beat reporter Mason Williams on Twitter/X @mvsonwilliams. Also, bookmark our homepage so you never miss a story.

Up Next

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

Want more Orlando Magic coverage on Sports Illustrated?