The Orlando Magic saw their eight-game stretch leading into the NBA All-Star break as a chance to build some momentum in what has been a challenging season.
They weren’t expecting to go unbeaten during that time, but they were hoping for at least a split of the eight games, especially with seven at home.
And the Magic got off to a promising start by winning their first three games.
But after Monday’s 130-124 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Magic have dropped four straight, in part because of the quality of their opponents.
At this point, the Magic gladly will take every drop of positive energy they can squeeze even from just one victory.
Orlando wants to push a little momentum into the break with a win Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks as the teams close out their schedules for the first half of the NBA season.
The game tips off at 8 p.m. from Amway Center and will be televised by Fox Sports Florida.
“Hopefully we can get a win to close out the first half of the season and finish this last stretch here 4-4 like we talked about,” Magic center Nikola Vucevic said after Monday’s loss.
The Magic (13-22) have fallen to 14th in the Eastern Conference and they’re three games out of 10th, the final spot for the play-in. While it’s just one game, Orlando doesn’t want to fall any further behind, particularly with a difficult second-half schedule coming up.
“That’s a big game for us (Wednesday). Going into the break with a win is always good,” Magic guard Michael Carter-Williams said after Monday’s loss. “We get to build momentum a little bit, it’s a win on our record and gets us back in the win column. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to play hard. Atlanta’s a good club and we’ve got to come out ready to play.”
The Magic, who lead the league in player games missed because of injury or illness, could be without James Ennis for a third straight game because of left calf soreness. On Tuesday’s 5:30 p.m. injury report, Ennis was listed as out.
Shooting guard Evan Fournier (left groin strain) has been listed as questionable. He left Monday’s game early in the third quarter before returning in the fourth quarter.
Orlando has struggled in different areas the past few games, but one common theme has been points allowed. During their four-game skid, the Magic allowed an average of 122 points per game — with the Nets, Jazz and Mavericks each topping the 120-point mark.
The Hawks (14-20) will provide another defensive test. Led by Trae Young (26.5 ppg), they average 113.1 points game and, like the Mavericks, the Hawks utilize the pick-and-roll.
The Hawks are seventh in the NBA in pick-and-roll percentage (20.4%) and they have a scoring frequency of 41.8% on that type of play. Young’s ability to hit the 3-pointer or get into the lane (he averages 19.8 drives per game, third-highest in the NBA) makes him a difficult cover, and Clint Capela’s roll game adds to the Hawks’ efficiency.
The Magic also will have to keep the Hawks off the offensive glass. Capela and John Collins average nearly seven offensive rebounds a game between them.
Atlanta’s defense, meanwhile, has been suspect at times. The Hawks have allowed 117.5 points in their past 11 games with opponents shooting 50.2%.
The first regular-season meeting between the teams, however, will not include Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, who was fired Monday. Pierce, who took over in Atlanta the same year Steve Clifford began coaching in Orlando, was 63-120 in his two-plus seasons with the Hawks.
Atlanta, which was scheduled to play Tuesday night in Miami, named assistant Nate McMillan as interim coach.
“It sucks,” Clifford said of Pierce’s firing. “Plus he’s done a really good job…There’s so much that goes into it, but the hard one is it’s a rebuild (in Atlanta). Rebuilds are difficult. He started from scratch there and he’s done a really good job. Last year, in my opinion, if John Collins doesn’t miss all those games, they’re probably a playoff team, or they would have been right there.
“He’s done a really good job. He’s a tremendous person and this is a hard one.”
Collins was suspended 25 games in November 2019 by the NBA for a violation of the league’s Anti-Drug Program after testing positive for a growth hormone. The Hawks were 4-21 during his suspension.
This story first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Roy Parry at rparry@orlandosentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @osroyparry