Staying at an even-keel through the highs and lows of a long NBA season can be one of the biggest challenges for young players.
With most teams reaching or approaching the 30-game mark of their 2023 campaign, it’s starting to become much clearer who will be competing for postseason basketball and who will be eliminated from playoff contention even before the All Star Break.
In the heart of its recent nine-game losing streak, it appeared the Orlando Magic would be the latter of those two options and competing for a different trophy come summertime: Victor Wembanyama.
But its current five-game winning streak has ignited a spark under this young team, especially after defeating the Boston Celtics on the road Friday night.
“Really big [win],” rookie Paolo Banchero said postgame. “We were on a four-game streak all at home. We were on the road against the best team in the NBA so either we can prove it to ourselves and show that we’re really a good team and rolling…or just roll over, we definitely didn’t want to do that.”
The 117-109 win over Boston came despite an early double-digit hole in which the Magic dug out of – finishing the quarter on a 15-6 run.
“Our guys are doing a great job of understanding and believing,” Mosley said. “You start off down 4-14 and they didn’t blink…they just came out, stayed the course, understood the poise that they have to have within these games in a great environment to play in.”
A message Markelle Fultz resonated throughout the locker room during the cold stretch, “in those moments in the game where things are not going our way or even going well, we have to stick together and talk to each other.” Which the Magic has since responded with in a big way – ranking in the top ten in various offensive and defensive categories over the past four games.
But just as they didn’t let their season get away from them then, they understand this is just a moment in a much bigger picture.
“It’s very hard to keep a belief high when it doesn’t translate, so to finally have it translate [to wins]” Mo Wagner said. “We understand the broad picture here…this is a small sample size of a long season, understanding the importance of going into 82 games and there will be highs and lows is very important and you gotta keep the work consistent. As competitors it’s great to see the work translating.”
Orlando will take on Boston once more on Sunday as part of this two game mini-series.
“That’s a great challenge for us and I think we’re all excited to have that opportunity on Sunday,” Mo Wagner said.
Tipoff is scheduled for 3 pm tomorrow.
You can follow Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Magic? Click here.
Follow The Magic Insider on Facebook.
Follow The Magic Insider on Twitter.
Want even more Orlando Magic news? Check out the SI.com team page
.