Following 25 games last season, the Magic had just five wins on their resume.
That was in large part due to injuries sustained by guards Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony and Gary Harris combined with a young roster and key players still figuring out their roles on the team.
Through just nines games this year, however, Orlando already has reached five wins and the team (5-4) has largely been competitive against strong opponents.
Two of their four losses have been by a combined 4 points — a 3-point shortcoming against the Lakers on the road in the third game of the season and a 1-point loss to the Hawks in Mexico City last Thursday.
Tuesday’s road game against the Nets (5-5) will serve as another test to better understand just how much the Magic have grown as a team from last season.
“Though we didn’t like the outcome in Mexico City, there’s things you can show on film that you learn from,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after Saturday’s 112-97 win against the Bucks. “That’s what these guys did. They didn’t panic [or] overreact to anything. They just continued to play the right way.”
Beede’s Breakdown: How Magic snapped 14-game losing streak to Bucks
The Magic led by as many as 21 points against Milwaukee and as the Bucks made their run in the fourth quarter, Orlando was able to hold on thanks to the play of stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
The duo scored 8 of the Magic’s 13 final points after the Bucks cut the deficit to 11 with under eight minutes to play. Banchero and Wagner combined for 50 on the night.
“This team is [going to] continue to learn to handle success,” Mosley said. “Because when you have the lead, teams are coming for you. You’ve got to learn to play the mini games and win the little, small battles throughout the game.”
Wagner said he believes the Magic’s ability to close out games against teams such as the Bucks — who finished last season with the best record in the Eastern Conference — isn’t a talent question.
“It’s more of a mindset of who we are in those last four minutes and locking in defensively,” he said.
Added Banchero: “We just came to the huddle [and] I told everybody to just stay poised, stay aggressive and just finish the game out. That’s what we did.”
Orlando forced 19 turnovers (including five in the fourth quarter) and turned those into 20 points against the Bucks, who shot 31% from 3-point range. It was another strong defensive performance that made the difference on a night that saw the Magic shoot 42.9% from the field.
As the Magic continue to monitor Fultz (left knee tendinitis), provide treatment to Harris (sore right groin) and wait for the return of big man Wendell Carter Jr. (fractured third metacarpal in left hand), Orlando will rely on its growth and depth to try to capture its sixth win of the season entering just its 10th game.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, also known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.
![Magic rookie Anthony Black made his fourth start Tuesday night against the Nets. His teammates have noticed his confidence on the court. "I do like [that] he's got a little feistiness to him," Orlando center Moe Wagner said. "He talks a little smack sometimes which I like."](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Magic-Nets-Basketball.jpg?w=525 "Magic rookie Anthony Black made his fourth start Tuesday night against the Nets. His teammates have noticed his confidence on the court. \"I do like [that] he's got a little feistiness to him,\" Orlando center Moe Wagner said. \"He talks a little smack sometimes which I like.\"")
