Orlando Magic: London Calling, But They Couldn’t Answer

They may have entertained the masses and made some new fans, but the Orlando Magic couldn’t pull out a win in London.

In the end, the Orlando Magic couldn’t quite pull out what would have been a gutsy, come from behind win against the Toronto Raptors in London. They managed to force overtime after putting together an impressive fourth quarter though, but in some ways their shortcomings when the game was close were reminiscent of how this young team used to struggle to close out games.

Still, we learned a lot about this team on their travels overseas, and despite not being able to win, there were many positives to take. Obviously there were negatives as well, as the Magic couldn’t quite get the job done. Let’s look a little closer though, to see what is worth taking away from what was an entertaining contest.

Guard Victor Oladipo had a big night for Orlando, and it was his spark when on the court that brought the team back into the contest late on. The third-year player went 5-for-7 on three-point attempts, scoring a team high 27 points. He played over 44 minutes as well, a team high.

Although he’s started the last five games because of injury to Elfrid Payton, he’s come off the bench a lot this season, so this performance would have filled him with confidence.

Even when not a starter he still sees major minutes usually, but getting an extended run to begin games once more, his full arsenal was on show. His fearlessness in wanting the ball was a driving force in the Magic pulling themselves back into the contest.

As a career 33 percent three-point shooter, Oladipo shot well from downtown despite this low mark, but did miss two long range efforts (one late in the fourth, the other in overtime) that would have possibly changed the outcome of the game. Yet Magic fans generally seemed happy that he was taking these shots, as he looked to have a hot hand for much of the game (Oladipo went 10-of-20 from the field).

It was a good night personally for Oladipo, and he proved that his energy, athleticism, fearlessness and ability to get his shot off in the paint are important to this team. He also had a team high six assists. However, I can’t help feeling that Oladipo needs to take over for this team more, or risk becoming somewhat of a luxury type player off the bench. This is something we’ll surely return to another time.

Another player who improved his personal stock and enjoyed playing in a different country was Jason Smith. The journeyman center, who has carved out a role on this team and is averaging 14 minutes a night, had 16 points and made eight of his 14 attempts. With a career average of 6.3 points, this was a big night by his standards. He also attempted two shots from beyond the arc.

Neither went in, but it showed his confidence was up. One of those efforts was a difficult one to potentially win the game as well, another barometer of Smith’s worth to this team. He quietly goes about his business on the court, but he gives the Magic a more experienced head out there, and somebody who does more of the dirty work for this team. To see him shine more than he usually would was nice.

Of course the team did actually lose, and in some ways their shortcomings reminded me of the rebuilding Magic of a few season ago, while also demonstrating new and undesirable traits too. One game from last season sticks out as a comparison to this game, and ironically it also came in a loss to the Raptors in Toronto. On that occasion the Magic were ahead for most of the first three quarters, before being pegged back.

They would lose that game, and at the time it was clear they needed more veteran players and the growth of their young guys to learn how to close out games. The Magic have that ability now, so to see them instead be on the receiving end of a 16-0 run in the first half and have to chase the game was frustrating. This team are supposed to be better than that now, and while the effort to force overtime was admirable, it was arguably a worse way to lose a contest.

Failure to see a game through because of lack of experience is one thing, but it’s clear now that this team has the talent to at least hang around and compete with contending teams. The Magic didn’t do that here though, falling way behind before snapping out of it and taking the game to their opponents. This is the kind of trend we would not want to see continue, especially with the team 20-19 and currently clinging onto that last playoff spot.

On a more aesthetic level, it was somewhat disappointing to see Aaron Gordon only play in just over six minutes of the game. The English crowd would have loved his high flying moves around the basket, and in fact he could have had some real use as well. Both Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic in particular were having joy in the paint with their footwork before getting shots off.

Bismack Biyombo, who was solid in the middle for the Raptors, couldn’t live with some of the moves Vucevic was putting on him. On top of that, the cutting of the Magic in getting to the basket was also excellent. The aerial threat and movement of Gordon around the hoop would have added another element to their attack, although defensively there would have been issues in dealing with Toronto’s bigs. Still though, it would have been nice to see more of him.

So while the Magic didn’t get the win, there was much to like about their performance. They also helped put on a show that seemed to captivate the audience in a way that hasn’t always been clear in years gone by. They played exactly like the team we know they are: young, hungry and wanting to get after it. That intensity did vanish for periods though, leading to the team playing catch up.

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All in all though a good experience for the team, and in particular Victor Oladipo and Jason Smith. Nikola Vucevic was typically consistent as well (17 points and 11 boards). Just not enough to get the job done though, in a game that was certainly there for the taking. Let’s hope that doesn’t become a recurring theme here as they head back to America.