ATLANTA — As the Orlando Magic concluded their pandemic-impacted road trip with a 104-98 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, the team Jamahl Mosley coached barely resembled the one with which he started the season.
Of the 10 players available for the Magic against the Hawks, only four — Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Chuma Okeke and Robin Lopez — were on the team’s roster at the beginning of the season.
Mychal Mulder, Terrence Ross, Mo Bamba, Moe Wagner, R.J. Hampton and Ignas Brazdeikis were sidelined due to the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Issac, Michael Carter-Williams and E’Twaun Moore were out because of injuries.
Anthony (right ankle sprain) and Carter (right lower leg muscle strain) are considered “day-to-day”, with the Magic playing a home game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.
That left Orlando with six players who joined the team in the past week.
Four players — Aleem Ford, Hassani Gravett, B.J. Johnson and Admiral Schofield — signed with the Magic from their own G League team, the Lakeland Magic, last Friday. The other two — Tim Frazier and Freddie Gillespie — joined the team on Tuesday as it continues to deal with a short-handed roster.
“You constantly go over what guys are capable of doing and who you have on the roster,” Mosley said. “I’ve looked at it quite a bit, but I always look at it as opportunities for these guys who in five, three years from now can look back and say, ‘I was a part of something. I worked on getting better and I had an opportunity.’ I look at it as that more than trying to put those pieces together.”
The Magic (7-25) didn’t allow their unconventional roster to slow them down against the Hawks, with Wednesday’s victory making their first winning streak after beating the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. Orlando didn’t trail after taking a 12-11 lead early in the first quarter after a Franz Wagner layup.
Wagner (25 points) led the Magic. Wagner has scored 10-plus points in 14 consecutive games, the second-most by a Magic rookie since the 2000-01 season.
Johnson finished with a career-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench. Lopez had a career-high 11 assists to go along with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Okeke recorded 12 points, 6 steals and 5 rebounds. Gravett, who made his first start, had 8 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds.
The Hawks (14-16) were also shorthanded. Trae Young, Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter, Lou Williams and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot were all sidelined due to the protocols. Solomon Hill and De’Andre Hunter were out with injuries.
Cam Reddish (36 points) and John Collins (26 points and 11 rebounds) led the Hawks.
The Magic flew from Toronto to Atlanta Sunday evening after their Monday game against Raptors was postponed due to protocols.
That break between games gave them Monday to focus on individual work and Tuesday to have their first practice in nearly a week, allowing the newcomers to catch up to speed.
“We’re sending guys individual film-session pieces,” Mosley said. “Understanding our concepts and the things we’re trying to do. We are able to do some one-on-one sessions with the coaches, kind of implementing those things. And as we can get on the court, just try to get guys up to speed of what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Mosley added that the team has been able to stay focused and keep things in perspective despite the pandemic’s effect on the team and NBA as a whole.
“We’ve talked about it and understanding it’s about the health and safety of our players,” he said. “Once you step in between those lines, you got out there and have a job to do. You compete and play for one another. Our spirit, level of love of competing and playing with joy for the game — that won’t change because we know we’re going to compete for one another.”
