NBA Power Rankings: Magic Gaining Respect After Warriors Win?

The Orlando Magic is 2-8, but the way the team is losing games has caught the attention of pundits around the country.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 7, 2022

NBA Power Rankings: Magic Gaining Respect After Warriors Win? /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic has shown signs of growth throughout the first 10 games of the season. However, its 2-8 record still supplants the Magic towards the bottom of the league.

The wins may not be coming, but the optimism and big win against the Golden State Warriors last Thursday have pushed the Magic up two spots in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated's power rankings.

Here's what SI had to say about the Magic ...

The Magic are playing much more competitive basketball of late. They have a one-point win against the Warriors to show for it as well as a couple of close losses to the Thunder and Kings. Paolo Banchero put together 33 points and 16 rebounds in the overtime loss to Sacramento, by far his finest game of what’s already been an awesome start to his career. Orlando has five more games to go on its current seven-game homestand and its only two victories so far have come at the Amway Center.

The Magic hosts its next five games at the Amway Center, which increases the likelihood of wins coming soon, especially considering the team's success at home vs. the road.

This week, the Magic face the struggling Houston Rockets on Monday, Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday and the first-place Phoenix Suns on Friday.

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Published Nov 7, 2022

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.