Magic Trending Upwards, But They Have Work to Do

The Orlando Magic are struggling after losing their last two games to the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons, but that shouldn't take away from the team's 3-1 road trip to start the second half of the season.

That is reflected in this week's NBA power rankings across the internet, which have the Magic higher than they were the previous week.

NBA.com, John Schuhmann (15)

Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II is fouled by Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

"After coming out of the All-Star break with a 3-1 trip out West, the Magic returned home and lost two tough games to the Rockets and Pistons. They’re just a game in the loss column behind the sixth-place Sixers, but also just a game in the win column ahead of the 10th-place (and surging) Hornets," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Magic are 6-1 since Feb. 1 against teams that are currently below .500, with the only loss being against the Bucks in their last game before the All-Star break. They’ll play three of their four games this week against that group, with a visit to Milwaukee (the second game of a back-to-back for both teams) on Sunday."

SI.com, Peter Dewey (15)

"Orlando has fallen well short of expectations, but it remains in the No. 7 spot in the East. The upside for the Magic? Franz Wagner (ankle) should return this month, which could help them make a late-season surge in the standings," Dewey wrote.

The Athletic, Law Murray (12)

"Tough schedule for the Magic, as they went home after their thrilling wins to cap a post-All-Star break road trip and were unable to capitalize on the momentum. They had nothing for Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard when the Rockets visited, then ran out of buckets against the basketball brutality machine that is the Pistons," Murray wrote.

"Count the Magic as another one of those teams that has a key piece to look forward to getting back at some point this month in Franz Wagner, but the flip side to that is Orlando needing to develop some consistency if it wants to avoid the Play-In."

Overview

The Magic may have lost to the Rockets and Pistons despite having leads in the second half, but those are two of the best teams in the NBA. The fact that the Magic are competing close with them despite not having Franz Wagner in the lineup is a sign that Orlando has something cooking. It just may be a bit underbaked.

Luckily for the Magic, they have a stretch of games where they will face off against some rebuilding teams in the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks, and that should help move the pendulum back in their favor. They are teetering between the Play-In tournament and the top six, and every game down the stretch matters for them.

In the team's final 23 games, they will face off against 14 teams that are either in the Play-In tournament or lottery. If they can win all of those contests, they should have a decent chance of making it to the top six, especially if they can figure out how to beat some of these top-tier squads.

The Magic have always been a team that has bounced back following a loss. They don't have very many losing streaks this season, and that is a sign of a resilient team. They have been through a lot this season in terms of injuries, and it is all coming to a head as they go into the final stretch of the season. It will be intriguing to see how they respond.