With NBA's Best Fourth-Quarter Defense, Magic Know Their Time Is Coming

The Orlando Magic own the NBA's top-ranked defense in the fourth quarter. With that asset in their back pocket, the Magic feel they "can stay with any team in the league night in and night out."

Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) shoots the ball over Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) during the second half at Kia Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – The situation? Strength versus strength. The Indiana Pacers, the NBA's second-best shooting team, had 12 minutes to preserve a four-point lead against the Orlando Magic's second-ranked defense.

What was at stake? A 2-1 series advantage between two rivals expected to compete for Eastern Conference playoff positions.

One would need to force the other into submission. The result? Like other teams before them, the Pacers offense tapped out.

Miss. Miss. Turnover. Miss. Miss. Miss. Turnover. Miss. Miss. Miss. Turnover.

In the opening four minutes and 34 seconds of the fourth quarter, the Magic turned a four-point deficit into a nine-point lead. The Magic would win 94-90, their fourth consecutive victory. The Pacers, who three nights earlier dropped 132 on the New York Knicks, became the fourth straight Orlando opponent to fail to reach 100 points.

When it mattered most, the NBA's best fourth-quarter defense shut down another offense.

"It's so contagious," Jonathan Isaac said of the feeling when the Magic piece together stretches like that one. "What's so great is that you can feel the momentum coming on. When one guys gets one stop and you just feel that energy, and it's almost like I can sense, 'Hey, this is about to be our run and we can get stops.'

"Shots are going to fall eventually," he added. "We struggled early on, but shots started to fall toward the end of the game, and that's all we need. With defense like that and shots falling, I think we can stay with any team in the league night in and night out."

Indiana finished the quarter 5-for-19 and was turned over seven times for 10 Magic points. As it did in Wednesday night's four-point victory, Orlando's offense often endures shooting lulls and turnover issues. But the team takes solace in knowing that its suffocating defense can hijack a result at a moment's notice.

In a come-from-behind victory two nights later, Orlando held Philadelphia to 4-for-15 from the field and 1-of-6 from three in the final frame, turning the 76ers over five times for eight points. The +11 fourth came as part of a 34-14 closing run over the final 14 minutes, which afforded Orlando time to find buckets in transition and have enough shots drop.

Through 14 games, the Magic have done just that. They possess the NBA's best fourth-quarter defense by a wide margin:

• #1 average point differential (+4.4)
• #1 opponent FG% (37.9) and opponent eFG% (43.8)
• #3 opponent 3PT% (28.9)
• Fewest average points allowed (22.1)
• #1 net rating (18.6, Cleveland second at 10.6)
• #1 defensive rating (90.9, OKC second at 99.4)

"I think their level of focus has been great," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "I think they understand getting into the game plan when the time counts. They've done a great job of holding each other accountable, the lines of communication that they have with one another, knowing that games are won on the defensive end of the floor. These guys have really engaged to that and locked into that."

The Magic's ability to string together stops brings about a good feeling, Anthony Black said, knowing that frustration is mounting from the opposition. Orlando talks about forcing teams to a breaking point, where everything boils over from relentless pressure.

A defense that flies everywhere, as Mosley said postgame Wednesday, affords the Magic the ability to win ugly games. While he'd prefer smoother sailing, gutsy performances define a team that isn't afraid to bring a fight to an opponent.

"That's what [this defense] is," Mosley said. "We're gonna hold our feet to the fire to defend the right way."

That mentality is the ticket to playing time in the Magic rotation. Regardless of unit or scenario, the five on the floor are expected to uphold Orlando's defensive standard. The reason Jalen Suggs spent all 12 fourth-quarter minutes on the floor despite a 2-of-15 shooting night? The two steals he earned by not disengaging because of poor offense.

Anthony Black also played the whole fourth period, producing three steals, a block and all six of his points. Isaac grabbed five boards and had one of his three rejections.

As the Magic have adjusted without top scorer and playmaker Paolo Banchero, the offense still searches for consistency. But as the players have grown comfortable in that reality, Orlando's defense more often than not extends the leash for the Magic.

"It says a lot about our young group," guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. "We have a young group that locks in defensively when the game is on the line [and] when it matters. Just showing that means a lot. They've been here before. They know what it takes to win a game."

A rested Indiana team — the Magic's third game in four nights — was their toughest test yet.

"I almost can't say enough about the resiliency, the energy, the mindset of these guys," Isaac said. "With that, I feel like we can go as far as we want to."

Friday night's homestand finale brings perennial All-Stars Paul George and Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, another Eastern Conference rival expected to compete for a playoff berth.

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