'You Have to Knock Shots Down!' Misses Bite Magic in Loss to Wolves

The Orlando Magic lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in large part due to an inability to control the paint.

The Orlando Magic is looking to bounce back after getting smoked by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Magic lost 113-92 at home, despite holding Anthony Edwards to only six points.

Orlando shot only 34 percent from the floor, which is completely unsustainable when going after a win. Their score was more than doubled after the first quarter, and they found themselves in a hole that they couldn't get out of. 

Rudy Gobert (27) dunks the ball against the Orlando Magic.  / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

"They do a great job of packing the paint and to keep guys honest you have to knock shots down," coach Jamahl Mosley said. "Early in that first quarter we got a bunch of great looks and those shots didn't go in and by the time that happened that lead kept building."

The Magic went 3-of-13 in the paint in the first quarter, despite Rudy Gobert only blocking one shot. Of course, Orlando could never really make a shot from anywhere and allowed 42 points to be scored by Minnesota in the paint.

Going into the game, it should have been a huge part of the game plan to try and lock up the paint. Karl-Anthony Towns, Gobert, and Edwards do their best work down low, and Orlando did not have an answer for the barrage of close baskets.

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The bitter reality is that Orlando can not win a game when Mo Wagner is the leading scorer. He dropped an admirable 21 points, but was the only player to pass the 20-point mark and had limited help. After putting the team on his back for the last two weeks, Paolo Banchero finally posted a "dud," scoring only 18 points.

Of course, injuries didn't help. Orlando was without Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Joe Ingles, and Jonathan Isaac. As Orlando prepares to take on the Heat in Miami, locking down the paint will be key moving forward.