Magic’s potion during recent surge: Defense
Since the All-Star break, no team in the NBA has allowed fewer points per game than the Orlando Magic.
Go back a little further to Feb. 7, when the Magic kicked off a five-game winning streak that propelled them into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Since that point, Orlando (34-38) has gone 12-6 and allowed just 100.8 points per game in 18 contests. That’s No. 1 in the NBA.
Not surprisingly, the Magic have held opponents to 42.5 percent shooting overall and 29.4 percent shooting from 3-point range during that stretch — both league-best marks.
In the past six games, no opponent has shot better than 29.6 percent from the 3-point line or made more than 10 3-pointers against the Magic.
For the season, they rank fourth in opponent points per game at 106.1, behind only the Indiana Pacers (104.1), Memphis Grizzlies (104.9) and Miami Heat (105.7), according to league data.
Simply put, the Magic’s defense is getting the job done. Are they the best defensive team in the league?
Recent statistics largely point in that direction, and one won’t get much of an argument from Orlando players.
“I’d like to think so,” forward Aaron Gordon said when asked if the Magic have the best defense. “I really do believe that. It took us a little bit to get it going with the new [coaching] staff, but now that we understand what we’re doing we’ve got to have that kind of mentality every night: that we’re coming to win a defensive game.”
Point guard D.J. Augustin said coach Steve Clifford regularly goes over league rankings with the team. The Magic see the numbers and are motivated to maintain the level they’ve reached.
“Coach tells us all the time,” Augustin said. “He gives us the numbers and the stats and stuff, and most of the time he tells us we’re No. 1 in the league at that time. It feels good to hear [that] and we want to continue to hear that.
“And the only way to continue to hear that is going out every night and producing. That’s how we go out: We try to play defense and we know that’s going to win games for us.”
Defense likely will play a role Friday when the Grizzlies pay a visit to Amway Center as the teams close out their two-game season series.
The game tips off at 7 p.m. and can be seen on Fox Sports Florida.
The Magic will enter Friday’s game ninth in the Eastern Conference, 1 1⁄2 games behind the Heat for the final playoff spot. Miami plays at conference-leading Milwaukee on Friday night.
In addition, the Magic will look to extend their five-game home winning streak and improve on their 21-16 home record. They are 9-1 in their past 10 games at Amway.
“We’re certainly playing a lot better at home,” Clifford said. “Early in the year we weren’t play very well here.”
The Grizzlies (29-42) won the first meeting March 10 in Memphis as they rallied from a late seven-point deficit to score a 105-97 victory. The Magic shot just 35.6 percent in that game, one of their worst shooting nights of the season, and struggled down the stretch. Of course, it didn’t help that starting swingman Evan Fournier had been ejected early in the third quarter for arguing a call.
And since that win, the Grizzlies have allowed 132, 135 and 125 points.
Nonetheless, Clifford said the Grizzlies’ defense is not easy to navigate. Their help defense creates fewer opportunities for opponents to get in the lane or drive to the basket.
“With them, it’s very difficult,” Clifford said. “They’re helping more [on defense]. We’ve all become more consumed with taking away 3s, and what it does obviously is open up lanes to the basket to drive the ball. And they’re back to doing what Milwaukee is doing — they help.
“They help the old way — the next guy helps. Frankly, guys aren’t used to playing like that anymore. They’re very, very good with their coverages, so you don’t get a lot of cheap baskets.
“And then the other thing they do, they’re so active with their hands. Normally when teams help they’re not going to get as many deflections and steals, but when they’re really good they do both.”
In that first meeting, point guard Mike Conley scored 14 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to spark the Grizzlies, and the Magic will need to once again make him the center of their defensive attention.
He is averaging 8.8 points in the fourth quarter over his past 10 games — fifth in the NBA. For the season, Conley is averaging 6.1 points in the fourth quarter, and his late-game success is easy to see why.
“He has an array of shots,” Augustin said.
Conley shoots the 3 well (36.6 percent), plus he can get into the lane and create shots for teammates or put up floaters with either hand.
“So he’s a tough guy to guard,” Augustin said. “But we feel if we lock in and do what we’ve been doing on every team thus far, we shouldn’t have any problems and hopefully we’ll get the win.”
The Magic defense should be up to the task.