The Orlando Magic understand they don’t have time — or games — to waste.
It’s part of the reason why Saturday’s home loss to the Indiana Pacers stung more than most defeats.
It was a missed opportunity to jump over one of the teams above them in the Eastern Conference’s play-in tournament race and kept them at No. 13 in the East — the same spot they’ve been stuck at since the start of 2023.
It’s also why there was a relief after Monday night’s 101-93 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans, even though the victory didn’t come easily.
Despite a hot start, the Magic (26-36) once again struggled with their shooting from beyond the arc.
Orlando only made 3 of its last 23 3-points across the final three quarters after going 6-of-11 on 3s in the first.
It was the biggest reason why the Magic didn’t stretch their lead into the double digits in the second half.
And why the Pelicans (30-32), who also struggled with their outside shooting (6-of-27 on 3s), tied the game multiple times in the fourth, including at 91 with four minutes remaining after a Herb Jones layup.
But when the Magic needed it most, Paolo Banchero (29 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists) came through with the kind of clutch performance that showcased why he was the No. 1 pick in last June’s draft.
There was the Banchero pull-up 2 to give the Magic the 93-91 lead with 3:39 remaining.
Two minutes later, Banchero attacked Jones in isolation before knocking down another pull-up 2 to give Orlando a 95-93 lead with 1:39 remaining.
As Pelicans broadcaster Antonio Daniels, a former NBA player, said after the shot: “[Banchero]’s getting into his bag. He’s getting into his offensive bag.”
Banchero wasn’t done yet, isolating Jones again on the Magic’s next possession and hitting a 12-foot turnaround jumper over the 6-foot-7 defender to give Orlando a 97-93 advantage with 1:04 remaining.
Franz Wagner (11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) iced the game with a floater with 24.9 seconds left.
Moe Wagner and Markelle Fultz both added 14 points.
Brandon Ingram had a team-high 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the Pelicans.
After Monday, the Magic are:
— 4 games behind Toronto for the No. 9 spot in the East.
— 3 games behind Washington for the No. 10 spot.
— 2½ games behind Chicago for No. 11.
— 1 game behind Indiana for No. 12.
Essentially, that’s a very similar spot to where they were before the All-Star break.
But with just 20 games remaining in the regular season after Monday, the Magic understand they can’t tread water for much longer and still expect to qualify for the tournament.
Seeds 7-10 in each conference compete in the play-in tournament for the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds in the playoffs.
“There’s always a sense of urgency when you have a chance to get a play-in spot or a playoff spot,” Banchero said ahead of Monday. “We’ve talked about it as a team. It’s definitely in the back of our minds.”
Forward Jonathan Isaac wasn’t available for the second consecutive game because of a strained right hamstring.
He didn’t travel with the Magic to New Orleans but could rejoin the team during its three-game trip. His status is being assessed on a game-to-game basis.
The Magic play the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday and the Charlotte Hornets Friday as part of the swing.
Orlando is taking a cautious approach with Isaac after he was sidelined for 2½ years before returning to the court last month.
Caleb Houstan (G League assignment with Lakeland) and two-way guard Kevon Harris (transferred to Lakeland) also weren’t available against the Pelicans.
They could rejoin Orlando in Milwaukee ahead of Wednesday’s game, with Lakeland’s next game after Monday not being until next Sunday vs. Grand Rapids Gold at RP Funding Center.
