NBA Power Rankings: Magic 'Legitimate Chance' at No. 2 Seed?

The Orlando Magic is 10-3 in its last 13 games. Where does the team place in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Mar 19, 2024

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is winning a lot of basketball games as of late, winning 10 of 13 games since the All-Star Break.

Only the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets, both of whom are first place in their respective conference, have won more games since the break.

Cole Anthony Jordan Nwora Raptors — USA Today Sports

The team's recent success has pushed Orlando up four spots in CBS Sports' latest power rankings. The team now sits at No. 11 after being at No. 15 last week.

"Orlando cleaned up on some Eastern Conference bottom-feeders this week to make it 10 wins in its last 13 games," CBS Sports writes. "The run has given it a legitimate chance at hosting a first-round playoff series, with the No. 2 seed a dark-horse possibility. What a season."

The Magic sits just one game behind the New York Knicks for the No. 4 seed, three games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for No. 3 and four games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for No. 2.

There's a chance that the Magic can continue this hot streak. The team plays its next seven games at home, and all but two of those opponents have a record better than the Magic.

Magic Defensive Identity Continues to Take Shape After Win vs. Raptors

That homestand continues tonight when the Charlotte Hornets come to town. Then, the team welcomes the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday and the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

Published Mar 19, 2024

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.