Orlando is 0-2 after a 93-115 home loss to Minnesota, and the Knicks are next on Sunday. The numbers say the problem is shooting and depth, not yet identity.
Two losses do not tell us much, but the second one was ugly.
Orlando trailed by as many as 26 against Minnesota and never led. The Timberwolves strung together runs of 9-0, 8-0, 10-0 and 12-0. A 15-point third quarter ended any chance of a comeback. The Hawks game two nights earlier was a 125-132 loss, so Orlando has not yet lost by a wide margin and a close one in the same way. Seed 12 this early is a rounding error. The way the Magic lost is the useful part.
Bane's shooting is the swing number.
Desmond Bane took 11 shots, made two and went 1-9 from deep, then fouled out in the fourth quarter according to Orlando Magic Daily. He is the team's $39.4M third-highest contract and last season's 39.1 percent three-point shooter. One night does not prove a slump. It does show how little room Orlando has when its best floor spacer goes cold, because Banchero shot 30.5 percent from three last season and Suggs is at 37.2 percent true shooting over five games.
Wendell Carter Jr. gave Orlando its one clean efficiency line.
Carter went 8-of-9 for 20 points and scored 15 of Orlando's 33 in the fourth quarter, yet played only 29 minutes. Orlando Magic Daily wondered during the game why he was not more involved. Wagner had 18 points but six turnovers and a minus-18. The starters scored 71 of the team's 93 points and the bench scored 15, so the lineup needs a second source of shot creation, not just a better night from Bane.
Banchero's ankle matters more than the standings.
Banchero left early with a sore right ankle and is listed day-to-day, with an estimated return of October 25. He told the Orlando Sentinel he feels pretty confident it is nothing too major. Isaac and Black are also day-to-day with the same date, while Penda and Nelson are out until November 18. Orlando heads to a Knicks team that went 53-29 last season, then plays two games in Toronto. The next five games carry more weight than the 80 remaining.
What is the Magic's record this season?
Orlando is 0-2 and sits 12th in the East after losses to Atlanta and Minnesota. The Magic are a game back of sixth.
Will Paolo Banchero play against the Knicks?
He is listed day-to-day with a sore right ankle and an estimated return of October 25, the day of the Knicks game. Coach Sean Sweeney said he will continue to be evaluated.
