After the Wizards cut their double-digit deficit to just 5 points entering the fourth quarter on Thursday, the Magic desperately needed a momentum swing in their favor if they wanted to win.
Orlando had just been outscored 31-20 in the third frame on the road and Washington was cruising toward completing a stunning comeback at Capital One Arena.
That’s when Jonathan Isaac shifted the contest.
First, it was a block on Anthony Gill’s layup and then a steal from Washington’s Tristan Vukcevic. Isaac recorded his second denial moments later on AJ Johnson’s drive to the hoop and then another steal off Vukcevic.
As Isaac stepped up on one end, Franz Wagner provided the scoring on the other to put the Magic ahead by 12 points and force a Wizards timeout.
Much like last week’s win at Washington, Orlando’s defense has ultimately shifted its season back in the direction the Magic want to go — toward the postseason.
“I can’t really pinpoint one thing but it’s who we are,” Isaac said after Saturday’s practice at AdventHealth Training Center. “It’s who we are. We’ve had some fluctuation up and down but everybody’s settling down a bit and we’re getting into what makes us a great team.”
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Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. believes that the sudden change is due to the time of the year with just four games remaining in the regular season.
“It’s us getting closer to the end of the season, understanding that we need to be hitting our peak now,” he said. “I know we had a lull in terms of our defensive rating but we’re one of the top defenses in the league.
“And we’re going to continue to get better on that end of the court,” Carter added.
During the past 14 games, the Magic went 9-5 featuring the second-best defensive rating (108.1), according to NBA.com. Combine that with their 113.4 offensive rating (which still ranks in the bottom-third at 20th), Orlando’s net-rating (plus-5.3) is tied for 10th with the Knicks in that stretch.
But in the previous 14 contests from Feb. 3-March 6, Orlando went 5-9 because its defensive rating had slipped to 112.3, which was just eighth-best. The Magic’s offensive rating (110.0) had sunk to 26th league-wide and that led to a minus-1.9 net rating, which was middle of the pack across that period.
Although they held opponents on a nightly basis to the third-fewest points in that stretch (108.9), it was six more points than they’ve allowed as of late (102.9 points allowed leads the league).
“It’s the ebbs and flows of the season,” Magic coach
