Back on the Road, Which Magic Team Will Show Up These Next 3 Games?

The Orlando Magic are 7-0 at home and 1-6 on the road. On Monday night, they begin a three-game trip out West with the Phoenix Suns, who are expected to be without Kevin Durant.

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) drives to the basket against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – An old adage in the NBA suggests that defense travels.

How then do the Orlando Magic, winners of just one of seven road games, make that happen?

"You got to find a way," coach Jamahl Mosley said Sunday.

When his 8-6 Magic begin a three-game road trip Monday night in Phoenix, they'll be looking to carry over their Kia Center success. Orlando is undefeated at home – seven games, seven wins – after sweeping a five-game homestand which concluded Friday. By average point differential, the Magic are the NBA's best at defending home court.

That said, their average point differential in road games is in the bottom third of the league, and their net rating is 24.6 points worse than it is at home. The Magic's road defense — fifth-best in the league — is holding its own. But their road offense ranks 28th.

Mosley said this recent homestand was good for his squad's ability to tighten their defense and settle down a bit. Last road trip, the Magic lost leading scorer Paolo Banchero after the first game and the result itself. Four more losses followed.

To borrow Mosley's words, the players have found a way because they had to. Franz Wagner's strong performances plus contributions from his supporting cast have steadied the ship. Banchero is in week three of his absence with a torn right oblique muscle. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated in two to four weeks.

"I feel like we kind of found ourselves these last five games, and it feels good to know that we're still here," forward Jonathan Isaac said Sunday. "We're resilient. We're a tough team and we figured it out."

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley reacts after a call against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter at Kia Center. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Having one of the league's elite defenses also builds belief that every game is winnable.

"I think in this homestand, we were down quite a few times going into the third, and we tightened our defense up and that's what got us on our runs," Mosley said. "I really think that's going to be so important on the road, that we just keep our focus, take care of our business, and focus in on our defense more than anything.

"Courts are the same," Mosley added. "I think that's why guys need to understand it's going to be our defense regardless of what we do. The process of shots falling or not, we can't control that. But we can always control our attitude, our energy and our effort on the defensive end and making the right play on the offensive end. Whether that ball goes in or not, we cannot let that determine how we play behind that."

The trip opens Monday night in Phoenix — the second game of a back-to-back after Sunday's 120-117 loss to Minnesota. The 9-5 Suns will be without Kevin Durant and possibly Bradley Beal. But Devin Booker alone can be a load to handle, as his 44 points pushed the Timberwolves to the brink before Julius Randle's game-winner sealed the deal Sunday afternoon.

The Magic then will get their first look at the Intuit Dome and this year's iteration of the Los Angeles Clippers (6-7 entering Sunday) before visiting the Lakers (9-4) at Crypto.com Arena the following evening.

Before the Magic's most recent road trip, Banchero had described the chance posed as an opportunity to "prove themselves." The same applies now. The Magic have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference 14 games into the year, but they are well behind the top two of Cleveland and Boston.

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