Magic head to Pacers after loss at Raptors: ‘We’ve got to be able to come together’

The Magic were outrebounded by the Raptors (58-52), allowed 21 offensive boards, gave up 58 points in the paint and let Toronto score 30 fast-break points on Monday night.

All of it, combined with Orlando being limited to just 12 points in the fourth quarter, led to a 107-106 Magic loss to the Raptors inside Scotiabank Arena, after Toronto trailed by as many as 21 in the first half.

If it sounds familiar, that’s because it is.

Jamahl Mosley‘s squad fell to 3-9 when allowing 13-or-more offensive rebounds, 3-6 when giving up 20-or-more fast-break points and 6-6 when being outrebounded by an opponent this season.

“The same thing that’s been kicking our butt for the last five or six games: offensive rebounds and transition points,” Mosley said when asked what allowed Toronto to comeback against Orlando. “It’s a combination of things.

“Those are the small details of the game that get you beat in a 1-point game,” he added.

Although Orlando struggled in those key areas, the team still had a chance to win in the final moments.

Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who notched his fourth career triple-double with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, missed a step-back 3-pointer in the closing seconds after Toronto denied him a pathway to the paint.

In fact, neither Banchero nor Desmond Bane (18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists) scored in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a shot we’re good with, and it just didn’t go in,” third-year pro Anthony Black said about Banchero’s miss. “It shouldn’t have gotten to that point. We were up the majority of the game, so we’ve just got to do a better job closing the game out.”

And Black isn’t wrong.

The loss marked the fourth time this season the Magic have fallen in a game in which they surrendered a lead of 14 or more points to their opponent.

After Monday night, three of those losses have come away from Kia Center.

“As a team, we’ve just got to do a better job of holding onto leads in the fourth quarter,” Banchero said. “We’ve had a couple games that we’ve won where we gave up the lead in the fourth quarter, and then this one we didn’t win. As a team, no matter who’s in or who’s out, we’ve got to be able to come together, get more organized, (and) figure out a way to win these games.

“Mainly on the road is what I’m talking about,” he added. “That’s going to be a big step for us.”

Taking that step without the likes of Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain) and Jalen Suggs (left hip bruise) won’t be easy.

Orlando fell to 4-5 without Wagner when he missed his ninth consecutive contest Monday, 5-7 with Suggs when he missed his seventh straight game and 3-4 without them both on the floor.

The last nine games, the Magic were 24th in offensive rating (112.8), 21st in defensive rating (118.1) and 26th in net rating (minus-5.3). In the nine games before Wagner went down, Orlando was sixth in offensive rating (119.3), fourth in defensive rating (110.1) and fifth in net rating (plus-9.2).

To make matters worse, the Magic saw Jonathan Isaac exit during the first quarter at Toronto (20-14) after less than a minute of action when he didn’t return due to a sore left knee. Then with 4:41 left in the game, Bane wasn’t available because of back spasms.

The Magic guard was only able to return for the final possession of the game when Orlando’s 1-point loss was sealed.

“We’re missing obviously some rotation players and when two more guys go down, it’s hard to win,” Black said. “But we know we’ve got enough to win. As long as we’ve got five players, we feel like we’ve got enough.

“Just got to be better, get better looks down the stretch, and find a way to win with whoever we’ve got,” he added.

Orlando’s next opportunity to do just that comes in the afternoon on Wednesday at Indiana, who enters the contest on a nine-game losing streak with only six wins on the season.

The Magic (18-15) know firsthand, however, they can’t overlook the Pacers (6-27) despite their lowly record after Orlando lost by 15 points to the then-10-win Hornets last Friday at home.

Focusing on the fundamentals will be crucial for the Magic when battling an Indiana team that’s without two-time All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton (right Achilles tendon tear).

“Our ability to just bounce back is going to be very crucial,” Mosley said. “(We need to) get the rest that we need, go to Indiana and learn from this (and) what we need to do in these moments.

“It starts with us being able to rebound the basketball and finish around the rim.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic at Pacers

When: 3 p.m., Wednesday, Gainbridge Fieldhouse

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida

Magic head to Pacers after loss at Raptors: ‘We’ve got to be able to come together’

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