Regardless of the results, the Orlando Magic have been playing the kind of games they’ve asked for the past couple of weeks.
Or at the minimum, the ones they need to play during this stretch of the season.
The Magic have played multiple games in playoff-like atmospheres over the last few weeks. Monday night was no different, with the Magic gutting out a 100-91 road win over the Chicago Bulls at United Center.
The result wasn’t just important for the Magic’s play-in tournament/playoffs aspirations. But it was critical to see how they’d respond to Saturday’s 107-103 overtime home loss to the Miami Heat.
The response was exactly what the team hoped it would be.
The Magic (24-34) were locked in defensively from the start, limiting the Bulls to fewer than 25 points in each of the opening three quarters to take a 76-68 lead into the fourth.
Chicago guard Coby White made the Bulls’ first 3-pointer late in the third after their 0-of-16 start from beyond the arc. The Bulls finished 3-of-21 on 3s.
Their advantage on second-chance scoring opportunities (12-0) and the Magic’s turnovers (17 for 16 Chicago points) allowed them to keep the game close.
The Magic led 91-86 with 3:33 remaining after a DeMar DeRozan (19 points on 8-of-20 shooting and 6 assists) layup.
But Orlando stayed the course defensively, with Paolo Banchero (22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks) knocking down the dagger midrange pull-up to seal the victory for the Magic.
Markelle Fultz nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. Fultz also didn’t record a turnover.
Franz Wagner (18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists) and Wendell Carter Jr. (15 points, 7 rebounds) combined for 33 points.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls (26-31) with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Ahead of Monday, the Magic spoke about locking in on the details throughout a game to pull out wins.
“Although this wasn’t the playoffs, this is how the playoffs are going to be and it’s going to come down to every possession,” Fultz said Saturday after the loss to the Heat. “Not just in the last five minutes but it’s possessions throughout the whole game; understanding that every little thing matters. This is going to be a huge learning experience.”
This was a lesson especially important for the Magic to keep in mind against the Bulls.
The Magic entered the matchup 3½ games behind Chicago, which was in the No. 11 spot in the East after dropping its previous three games.
The No. 10 spot in the East was occupied by the Raptors, whom the Magic will play Tuesday in Toronto on the second night of a back-to-back.
Orlando’s three games behind Toronto, 2½ games behind Chicago and ½ game behind the Indiana Pacers (No. 12 in the East) after Monday’s results.
Seeds 7-10 in both conferences compete in the play-in tournament for the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds in the playoffs.
Chuma Okeke was available Monday but was a healthy scratch after being sidelined since Nov. 21 because of left knee soreness before having arthroscopic surgery in mid-December for a chondroplasty, a procedure that involves shaving/smoothing damaged cartilage.
Guard Cole Anthony wasn’t available and the Magic ruled him out a little over an hour before tipoff because of right wrist pain.
The Magic signed former Pacers center Goga Bitadze ahead of Monday’s game, shoring up their big-man depth after trading Mo Bamba last week.
