The Orlando Magic are getting hot at the right time

The Orlando Magic are on a roll and showing a version of themselves that the public expected earlier. It may have seemed impossible six weeks ago when they had a 25-24 record, but a minimum of 50 wins- one of the barometers for a good regular season- is within reach because of their seven-game win streak as there are 16 outings left.

Of course, the Play-In Tournament is still a risk, but it’s possible that danger is partially what motivated the team since it’s too hard a path to cross. Regardless, the Magic are not a matchup opponents want to see right now.

Franz Wagner has missed 13 straight games (total of 38) with an ankle injury, and Anthony Black has been absent four straight with a lateral abdominal strain. Those absences have made it impossible to run the team’s five most-used lineups. Yet the starters and background players have stepped up, and maybe most importantly, Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane have been in playoff form after the All-Star break.

Additionally, Banchero and Bane have been one of the highest scoring duos in the last 13 games, with the former averaging 25.5 points on a 53.3 effective field goal percentage, and the latter logging 24.7 points on a 55.6 EFG percentage.

They’d have to go at least 12-4 to close the season, and here’s why it’s possible: the defense is legit, surrendering the lowest number of wide-open 3-pointers (16.3). On top of that, the team is long, athletic, strong, fast and they are 10th in rebounding percentage.

Offensively, good looks misfiring was their biggest problem of the season aside from injuries, but they have been accurate lately. Keep in mind that the team is making 42.7 percent of wide-open 3-point shots (18.3 attempts) over their seven-game win streak. The Magic were only converting league-average efficiency from October until March 1.

Road back-to-backs are the hardest trips to complete and they’ll be in Atlanta on Monday and in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Then they have only two back-to-backs (March 23 & 24; April 5 & 6), and at least seven games left against quality opponents. The team will need most of their victories to come against the best rivals so they can keep raising their confidence heading into the postseason.

Don’t count them out because the struggles of the year have made them tougher. The Magic are tied for the 10th-most clutch games logged this season (34), and have recorded the second-most wins (23) and third-highest winning percentage (67.6) in those situations. Tight games are one way to stimulate tough conditions, and teams that go into the playoffs with extra experience getting nasty in crunch time have an advantage. The 2023 Miami Heat, which made the Finals as the second eighth seed ever, and the first as a Play-In team, lived in clutch situations, and are a great example.

If they keep the level of urgency high, the Magic will be in good shape for the playoffs and possibly will have their first 50-win season since 2010-11. And they might even be able to grab the fourth seed, which would give them home-court advantage in round one, as they are two games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.