NBA Power Rankings: Magic Dropping After Losing Streak?

The Orlando Magic has lost three straight games. Where does that place the team in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Jan 3, 2023

NBA Power Rankings: Magic Dropping After Losing Streak? /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is hoping to get back in the win column this week after dropping three consecutive games.

The losing streak comes after the team won eight of nine games to begin its slow ascent up the Eastern Conference standings. The team is still within striking distance of the play-in tournament, but the outlook is a little bleaker than it was a week ago. In the NBA, the longer you climb, the harder you fall.

That's why the Magic dropped four spots in this week's power rankings from Sports Illustrated. Orlando is now at No. 26 after poking its way up to No. 22 last week.

"Before Christmas, the Magic won eight of their last nine games," SI writes. "But during the final week of ’22, Orlando dropped three games to the Lakers, the Pistons and the Wizards. After rising in last week’s rankings, Orlando will seek to end its three-game skid."

The Magic is enjoying a four-day break, which should prove handy during the team's home back-to-back this week against the Oklahoma City Thunder (Wed.) and Memphis Grizzlies (Thu.).

Then, the team embarks on a five-game road trip out west, where the team starts off in northern California against the Golden State Warriors (Sat.) and Sacramento Kings (Mon.).

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Published Jan 3, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.