Magic See Power Rankings Push as Trade Deadline Nears

Orlando is beginning to turn a corner over the last few games.

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane dribbles past San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are disappointed after a 112-103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs inside the Frost Bank Center.

The game snapped a two-game win streak. But the magic built up after beating the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors in consecutive games. Those victories helped the magic move up one spot in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings. After being No. 18 last week, the team moved up to No. 17.

"The Magic picked up a couple of big wins within the top eight in the East last week, coming back from double-digit deficits to beat the Heat and Raptors," Schuhmann wrote.

"The second half of the Magic’s tough, two-game trip is in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Then their last four games before the All-Star break will be at home against teams with losing records. They’re 13-8 (6-4 at home) against the 14 teams currently below .500."

Orlando Magic forward Noah Penda and guard Jalen Suggs. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Magic Creeping Up in Power Rankings

The Magic are currently ranked ahead of the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz, and Sacramento Kings.

They are also in the middle of the pack in terms of offensive and defensive rating, but the team is below average when it comes to efficiency. However, the last couple of games have shown potential for growth.

"Just when it looked like they were going to fall into the bottom 10 in efficiency (for what would be the 14th straight season), the Magic came alive offensively, scoring 125.2 points per 100 possessions over the wins against Miami and Toronto. That included 154 points on 104 possessions (148 per 100) over the two second halves. Desmond Bane, Anthony Black and Paolo Banchero all totaled more than 50 points over the two games, with Bane scoring 16 in the fourth quarter vs. the Raptors as the Magic turned a 13-point deficit into a 10-point win," Schuhmann wrote.

"Banchero and Bane were pretty efficient (combined 44 points on 16-for-29 shooting) in the Magic’s loss to the Spurs on Sunday, but they didn’t get much help. Banchero’s season-long effective field goal percentage is still below 50% (169th among 190 players with at least 300 field goal attempts), but it’s at 54.3% since Dec. 31, up from 46.4% before that."

The Magic will try to look for ways to become a more efficient offense ahead of the trade deadline, but the team will primarily count on the players on the roster getting it done given the team's lack of flexibility on the market.