The Orlando Magic fell on the losing side of a double overtime duel against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, 113-110, thanks to a buzzer beater by Jalen Green. The loss brings the Magic to 29-26 and pushes them back to eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. Below are five takeaways from the loss: 

A lack of availability strikes again: The “by committee” approach that the Magic are often forced to lean on did not pay dividends on Saturday.  

Now, it is worth mentioning that the Suns were also without bodies; notably star guard Devin Booker. In theory, his absence provided the Magic with a better chance at securing a road win against a good team, but they were without Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner. In the end, their presence was sorely missed. 

It was a foregone conclusion that Orlando would be without Wagner after the team on Wednesday announced his indefinite absence to further rehabilitate his left ankle. Suggs, however, played in the Magic’s big win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday before being ruled out for back spasms ahead of the game against Phoenix. 

As a result, Orlando had to rely more heavily on its reserves. Tristan da Silva was moved back into the starting lineup, and Jevon Carter received the highest minutes he has since joining the team after the deadline. However, both combined to go 8-for-24 from the field and 4-for-17 from the 3-point line.  

Even Anthony Black — who has enjoyed a tremendous offensive leap in his third NBA season — fell flat on Saturday with a 10-point performance on 33% shooting. 

The offensive glass: Simply put, Offensive rebounds really hurt the Magic in this game. The Suns secured 22 offensive boards while the Magic only grabbed 10. Those 22 rebounds for Phoenix turned into 23 second chance points, while Orlando was left with only 13.  

“They got 117 shots up,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game. “That's the game right there, 22 offensive rebounds. It's hard to overcome when they have that many possessions. We talked about it pre-game; we talked about it in our meeting.” 

“This is a team that crashes offensive glass. We got to do the small details of boxing out, hitting guys and then going to pursue the rebound before you can get out on the break.” 

Turnover troubles: Over his last five games, Suggs is averaging eight assists, and the Magic certainly could have used that against the Suns. 

Orlando was able to total 24 assists but also committed 16 turnovers the Suns were able to convert into 22 points. Paolo Banchero was the high man in the assist department with eight, but he also led the Magic with six turnovers. Conversely, Phoenix only committed nine turnovers. 

“We can't turn it over 16 times for 22 points, as well as give up 22 offensive rebounds,” Mosley said. “Those are possessions you can't get back.” 

Desmond Bane strikes again: The only beacon of consistency for the Magic in Saturday’s heartbreaker was Desmond Bane. In just under 40 minutes of play, Bane logged 34 points on an efficient 66% clip. He hit five of his nine 3-point attempts but ended up fouling out of the game shortly into the first overtime period — putting the Magic in an even more dire situation. 

A quiet night from Wendell: Joining Bane as the two players for the Magic to foul out was center Wendell Carter Jr. Carter was able to stay on the floor a little longer than Bane after logging 2:19 in the second overtime period before picking up his sixth and final foul, but he finished the game with more fouls than shot attempts. 

Carter went just 2-for-4 from the field in over 34 minutes of action, which also hurt the Magic in a game in which offensive rebounds and second chance points became a key deciding factor. 

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