'Do It The Right Way!' How Magic Overcame Season Trends to Win in Overtime
The Orlando Magic is celebrating its first win streak of the New Year, beating both the defending champion Denver Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks over the weekend.
The Magic gave up a seven-point fourth-quarter lead to the Hawks in their homecoming game, but were able to dominate overtime, 12-5. Paolo Banchero scored 8 points in OT to bring his total to 35.
The win over Atlanta was Orlando's first overtime win since March, against the Miami Heat. On Wednesday, Orlando lost in double overtime to the Sacramento Kings, so they knew how to execute in this situation.
Caleb Houston (2) flourished in his first start of the season.
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
“Well, there was a time in that huddle that we talked about it, this is just like Sacramento," coach Jamahl Mosley said. "What can we take from that? So, you go out and win the tip and you execute. You try to do it the right way. You know exactly what you need to do because you felt that firsthand seven days ago." Orlando did, in fact, win the tipoff to start OT, and then went on a 5-0 run to punch any momentum away from Atlanta.
With the absence of star forward Franz Wagner, the Magic had to make some adjustments to their starting five. Caleb Houstan, who only averages 4.9 points in 14 minutes of play, stepped up big with a career-high 25 points and had a game-cinching steal in overtime. When asked about the key to Orlando's success down the stretch, Houstan praised his team's mindset.
“I think just staying poised," Houstan said. "I think we talk about it a lot. Coach Mose (Jamahl Mosley) talks about that a lot. We kind of go over these situations in practice, walkthrough, and film. Just being able to stay poised and do what we kind of go over was a big thing for us.”
On Tuesday, the Magic hosts the Timberwolves before hitting the road for four games. Their west coast road trip went poorly, with a 1-3 record, so keeping poised and executing well will be key to sustaining their momentum.
