The Orlando Magic had a chance to rest and recover during the All-Star break. Now, they prepare for a critical juncture in the season.
NBA All-Star Weekend concluded with a series of games on Sunday, which means that it is almost time for the Orlando Magic to get back to work.
Orlando will resume its 2025-2026 campaign with a four-game West Coast road trip that begins against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday before ending the month by hosting the Houston Rockets at home, and coach Jamahl Mosley realizes the pressure that will be on the team.
“Our March is very busy. We've got to come out, and we have basically 17 games in 31 days,” Mosley said after the Magics’ 116-108 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the final game before the All-Star break on Feb.11. “We've got three, four back-to-backs. So, guys are going to stay ready.”
The Magic are in a better place than they were when they were barely hovering above .500 at the trade deadline, but at 28-25, there is still little room for error in a crowded Eastern Conference. In the Kia Center, Orlando has been very effective with a 17-9 record; good for the fourth-best home record in the East. However, a 10-14 record as the visiting team has illustrated troubles on the road.
The Magic’s West Coast trip will have no shortage of challenges, as they will visit the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Clippers and the LA Lakers. Apart from Jase Richardson competing in the Slam Dunk Contest, Orlando did not have any participants in the All-Star weekend, which gave it a chance to rest and regroup.
Before the break, Jalen Suggs talked about the opportunity at hand to recover and expressed his confidence in the team, but he also emphasized the serious nature of the season moving forward.
“I told everybody today in the locker room, man, go reset, don't think about this for a couple days,” Suggs said after the loss to the Bucks. “Just, when it's time to get back and we all get back together. There's no excuses.
You know, we got to get, we got to get our work done, and we got to become sharper, and yeah, hopefully that leads to good things on the stretch, but I think we're fine, man.”
A silver lining for the Magic ahead of the difficult stretch is that their keys players are finally getting healthy. Franz Wagner is working his way back to the starting lineup via bench appearances, Suggs has been on the floor and playing strong basketball lately and Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero have been readily available for months.
The Magic have the pieces to create the best version of themselves, and perhaps we will see it.