Below are quotes from Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley following the team's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
How turnovers and offensive rebounds contributed to the loss: "That was huge right there... 21 offensive rebounds. I think, you know, you get to the initial stop, you got to come up with the board so you can finish the possession, so you can get out and run and get some easy baskets. The way they defended, you know, made it tough on us to get shots in the half court. And then to turn it over 19 times for 20 points, that's a hard recipe to come away with a win, but you gotta give them credit. Made shots tough on us, both at the rim and the threes. Again, we shoot 14 % from the three -point line with some good looks; just didn't fall."
On what went wrong in the fourth quarter: "I would have liked to see the ball go in the basket, that would be nice. You got to give Philly credit for the way they defended at the rim. A lot of times we got down there, same call that Joel Embiid was getting. Our guy P was down there trying to finish at the rim, getting hit, but they're not going to get those calls."
"And so our ability to finish through contact. But again, we also have to do a better job in the initial stages of taking care of the basketball, finishing possessions out, and then you don't get to that point."
On how to find consistency: "It's a very good question. And I think it's just finding ways to look in that mirror and say how you got to approach it every single night, no matter who you play. You're never going to control if shots fall. You can't do that. but you can't control the effort on a simple box out to make sure we're hitting guys to finish the possession."
"When we run, we run in space to attack the basket. Those are the pieces of the puzzle. can, those are things you can't control. And tonight, you know, obviously 21 rebounds, we didn't do that. We didn't do our job there. And then our ability to take care of the basketball, being in the right spot at the right time, shooting when you're open, putting two on the ball, making the right decision."
On whether pace of play is contributing to struggles: "Yeah, going back and look at the film, there's a few reasons. I think teams are turning up the heat defensively, so they're not allowing you to execute. If you look back at the Brooklyn game, they came back and jumped up the game. They started trapping, running, double teams, blitzes, so you're not really executing. You're just trying to find a way to get the ball in the paint attack to keep it away from turnovers."
"Tonight, Philly did a somewhat similar situation. Aggressively, we got downhill, but we gotta come off the ball a little quicker. I think that's a big portion of it. Give them credit for how they played physical, how they attacked the ball, and how they got us to turn the basketball over."
On trying to stop Tyrese Maxey: "I mean, Max hits tough shots. I mean, that's what he's capable of doing. You know, the one time we get into his body, physical with him, you know, get a hand check foul down the stretch. It hadn't been really called all game. I just think, you know, his ability to put pressure on the rim as well as knock shots down, he makes it a tough cover and tough matchup."
"Now, they have shooting all over the board. So the moment you try to get it out of his hands, that's when you see those guys knocking shots down on the other side. So it's a little bit of making it a tough two versus him all the way to the rim."
On frustration within the team, Tristan da Silva's injury and a quick turnaround: "Nobody likes to lose. I think nobody's happy about taking it out, and the way in which we did it, and not playing our style of basketball. His back spasmed up, and so we'll see how he is tomorrow."
"This group always does a heck of a job of bouncing back. The resiliency and that they understand exactly how we need to play from the beginning, jump ball to the end, final buzzer, 48 minutes of playing a certain style of basketball. And that's what we've got to get to. And that consistency is going to help as soon as we can, as well as soon as we start to get bodies back. That'll help as well."
On Wendell Carter Jr.'s skillset: "I think it's great that he can do that. His ability to knock shots down, and they have to honor it. So when he does get the pump fake, he's able to get to the basket."
On Paolo Banchero's frustrations regarding no-calls: "It's frustrating. I would be, too. I absolutely would be frustrated, too. I'm not going into the whole call, no call. We lost a good official tonight in Billy Kennedy; now we're down to two officials. So, you know, I see their side of it a little bit, too."
"But there's a frustration that Joel goes in there and just falls and gets the call. And Paolo goes in there, not the same call. Not saying it's equal in some ways, but at the end of the day, if we're attacking the basket that much, there's gotta be some contact happening a little bit there."
On overcoming frustrations: "I'd be frustrated too. If I'm going down there and getting my arm hit at the basket, I'd be frustrated as well. And then they go down the other end, it's not the same call. I would be frustrated, too. Now, there's a level that you have to play through, and he continued to play through and still attack the basket the same way. And still no call. But at the end of the day, we've got to continue to keep getting better at that and not compare it to what the other team is getting or doing. And we have to continue to play our game."