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EspañolTrailing the Lakers by one point with 10.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game inside Crypto.com Arena, Paolo Banchero missed a 13-foot jumpshot from the right elbow.
Fortunately for Banchero, who otherwise had a stellar night with 36 points, 10 rebounds and six assists on the road, his teammate Anthony Black grabbed the offensive rebound and shoveled the ball forward to a nearby Wendell Carter Jr. in the paint.
Surrounded by defenders, Carter immediately brought the ball back up and scored off the glass, putting Orlando ahead of Los Angeles, 110-109, with 6.7 seconds left.
The Magic wanted to celebrate, but knew they couldn’t just yet. The message was clear in the huddle as the Lakers called timeout: Get one more stop.
And that’s just what Jamahl Mosley‘s squad did.
After Luka Doncic (22 points and 15 assists) passed up a decent look from 3-point range, LeBron James (21 points) missed a fadeaway triple from the left wing that would have won the game as the buzzer sounded.
“They were hyping me up, everybody was happy but the game wasn’t over,” Carter said about the final sequence. “So we did a really good job of getting a great stop to end the game.”
The win not only meant the Magic went 3-1 on a crucial four-game West Coast road trip out of the NBA All-Star break, but it also moved Orlando to 5-1 in games decided by one point this season. The five one-point victories are the most in franchise history (the Magic previously had four wins by one point in 1995-96 and 2004-05).
In addition, the Magic improved to 10-3 in games decided by three points or less this season. Entering Wednesday’s slate of games, Orlando’s 10 wins in that situation were the most in the league.
As the old adage goes, practice makes perfect.
“We just stuck together,” Banchero said. “We’ve been in a lot of close games this year since the start of the season, so I think just having that experience, winning some, losing some, has helped us a lot just to stay poised and everybody realizing that they can make a play at any moment in the game.
“It just shows you (that) everybody was ready in the moment,” he added.
The one-point victory over the Lakers (34-23) also came just two days after the Magic beat the Clippers by two points at Intuit Dome. The pair of wins mark the fifth time in franchise history that Orlando has beat both teams in Los Angeles in the same season, and the first time since 2012-13.
Capturing both wins seemed unlikely given the fact that the Magic were without starters Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury management) and Jalen Suggs (back strain) for a third straight game.
But similar to Orlando finding ways to win close games this season, overcoming injuries isn’t new for this group either.
“We’ve been there before, unfortunately,” Carter said. “Ever since I was traded here, we’ve had numerous injuries with some of the best players on the team going in-and-out of the lineup. Lineups have changed so much over the course of the 82-game season every season since I’ve been here. So, we’re kind of used to it.
“We have that next-man-up mentality,” he added. “All 15 guys have to be ready to go, and that’s something that coach Mosley has done a really good job of just telling everyone that you never know when your number is called, and when it’s called, you better be ready. I give all the credit to all the guys just (for) being ready to step up in those moments.”
Wednesday marked one week since the team announced Wagner would be out indefinitely and not re-evaluated until March 11.
In a pre-game conversation with Dan Savage of OrlandoMagic.com, the Magic forward described the situation as “very frustrating.”
“Obviously, I want to be out there and help the team,” Wagner said. “So, (I’m) disappointed in how it’s been going, the process. But everything’s now about just getting fully healthy and making sure once I come back I’m really healthy.”
Even before the Magic upset the Lakers, Wagner was encouraged by what he saw during the team’s first three games out west.
“Every game from here on out is really important for us,” he said. “The way the season has gone, it’s not how we wanted it before the year (began) but I think we’ve still got a lot of things in our own hands and I think that’s always a good thing.
“So for me, the main thing is to get healthy and then hopefully do my part,” he added.
While Wagner remains out, Suggs is considered questionable to play Thursday.
With or without the dynamic duo, the Magic are hoping to carry the momentum gained from the West Coast and into their meeting against the Rockets at Kia Center. Orlando fell by four points in overtime at Houston in mid-November.
Returning to Central Florida for a four-game homestand, the Magic (31-26) recognize how tight the margin is in the East playoff race with only 25 contests remaining in the regular season.
Orlando sat half-a-game behind No. 6 Philadelphia (32-26) and one game ahead of No. 8 Miami (31-28) entering Wednesday.
“That was the first thing that we said in the locker room after this win,” Banchero said of the team’s momentum. “It was just a great win, hell of a trip and we’ve got to take this momentum back home to Orlando and just build off of this stretch.
“So, just bringing that same energy home in front of the fans … They’re going to help carry us in those close games. Hopefully they’re not all close games, but just bringing that momentum that we’ve built on this trip back home.”
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Up next …
Magic vs. Rockets
When: 7:30, Thursday, Kia Center
TV: Prime Video