Locked On Magic - Daily Podcast On The Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic stunned the Dallas Mavericks with Wendell Carter's clutch dunk with a second remaining, scoring the last five points of the game to erase a late four-point deficit. With the Playoffs coming into focus, every win matters, and this was one the team absolutely needed to have. It proved the team's will to win and how their energy for the full 48 minutes can deliver them into the Play...

What does it take to transform a good team into a championship team? That is the ultimate question facing a team like the Orlando Magic. One person who knows what that rise is like and how to win is former Magic forward Horace Grant. He is preparing to debut a new show called Legends in Session that will dive into the minds and experiences of successful players. Few have experienced as much succes...

The Orlando Magic's playoff future hinges on Paolo Banchero. But there are more questions than ever about Banchero as questions about the franchise's future amid a frustrating season continue to swirl. This week's public airing of the team's struggles against the Detroit Pistons only fueled the fire surrounding the team. No matter the answers the Magic find this offseason, it will be on Banchero t...

The Orlando Magic crushed the Washington Wizards as Paolo Banchero dominated with 37 points and dominated the interior. The Magic did what they had to do to defeat the Wizards. Orlando's 126-109 victory required the team to focus on its details and play to its standard in order to get the win. The team was challenged at halftime to come out more focused to put the game away. They delivered a profe...

The Orlando Magic's postseason hopes hinge on Jalen Suggs finding his rhythm and returning to his impactful shooting and defense. Since returning from his knee injury in January, he has struggled to return to his full rhythm. If the Magic are going to make a push to get the 6-seed, they need Suggs to be an impactful player on both ends. And Suggs is still seeking his rhythm, even beyond his two di...

The Detroit Pistons showed the Orlando Magic why they are a contending team and why the Orladno Magic are struggling to reach that level. The Pistons displayed poise and composure to dismantle the Magic in the second half. Orlando failed to execute, making repeated mistakes that allowed things to snowball and for Detroit to run away with the victory. That led to another second-half collapse and an...

The Orlando Magic collapsed after holding a 19-point lead, falling 113-108 to the Houston Rockets. Kevin Durant's late-game heroics proved the difference. But a 20-0 third-quarter run erased their lead as the Magic continued to trip over themselves. This team is still learning how to close out tough opponents. And put all their pieces together. Jalen Suggs returned from his back injury but struggl...

The Orlando Magic have been on a surge lately, winning six of their last eight games. Both Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane have found their shooting groove to carry the team to victories in the last few weeks. As the schedule stiffens up, can they continue this momentum through a daunting March schedule? The Magic have reestablished their defensive identity in the last eight games. That is a good...

The Orlando Magic outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers with their grit, defense and determination in yet another signal of their potential resurgence. Several players rose to the occasion, including Wendell Carter with his game-winning putback with six seconds to play. Paolo Banchero, too, has been stepping up lately, not only increasing his scoring and passing production but also taking on big challe...

The Orlando Magic hope their win Sunday over the LA Clippers and their response to the double-overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns will be a turning point in their season. Will they finally put the pieces together and win more consistently? That will be one of the big things they will find out on Tuesday when they face the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are another team that have vastly outperformed...

Desmond Bane powered the Orlando Magic past the LA Clippers with a 36-point explosion. It proved once again he was worth the heavy investment the Magic made in the offseason as they now try to ride this hot shooting into the Playoffs. Bane continues to carry the Magic offensively, going toe to toe with Kawhi Leonard late in the 111-109 victory. He has also been a catalyst toward winning too. As th...

The Orlando Magic have had the same problem for more than a decade. They have been unable to put together a functioning offense. Those shortcomings were on display in a double overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns where the team struggled to put the Suns away despite Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane playing well. No one else could step up to support them in critical moments, leaving them to carry the t...

The Orlando Magic torched the Sacramento Kings behind a superstar performance from Paolo Banchero and a record-breaking 27 3-pointers from the Magic, a new franchise high. In their first game after the break, the Magic showed the blueprint they will need to be successful for the rest of the season. Banchero had complete control over the game with 30 points and six assists, along with five 3-pointe...

The Orlando Magic suffered a major setback coming out of the All-Star Break, announcing Franz Wagner will be out indefinitely and re-evaluated in three weeks. The Magic have struggled since Wagner's injury in early December as he has missed 25 of the past 29 games and the team has struggled to hover around .500. Despite Wagner's absence, the Magic should hold themselves to a high standard and shou...

The Orlando Magic face a defining 29-game sprint to end the season. They are going to find out just how good their core is and whether this is a group they should continue investing in. The Magic may not have a choice with how much money they have committed in them. The end of the season is a test for this group to ensure they are the core that can lift the Magic closer to a championship or whethe...

The Orlando Magic will likely not achieve their preseason ambitions. They will reckon with that in the offseason. All that is left is one clear-cut goal for the team after the All-Star Break: To avoid the Play-In Tournament. The Magic will try to make up the 1.5 games between them and Philadelphia. But they have a schedule that is set up for them to make a push. Especially now that the team is hea...

The Orlando Magic push to find their place among the NBA's elite as All-Star Weekend kept its spotlight off the Orlando Magic. Paolo Banchero is still seeking his place among the NBA's elite and his absence prevented him from making his mark on the league at large. Both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are on the outside looking in for the league's elite players. The Magic and their players need to...

The Orlando Magic face a critical crossroads at the All-Star Break. But before they can get to a critical offseason, they have plenty to fight for in the rest of this season. The Magic are still fighting to avoid the Play-In. Those small goals will not diminish the frustration and disappointment in the season. Orlando's season has been far from a disaster, but the team has failed to live up to exp...

The Orlando Magic continue to show flashes of the potential that made the team a darling pick in the Eastern Conference this season. But they continue to stumble and struggle to put all the pieces together. Miscues and a hot-shooting night from the Milwaukee Bucks allowed them to make the plays down the stretch and steal a win from the Magic at the Kia Center. Orlando again was left wondering how...

The Orlando Magic's center position is in the spotlight as Wendell Carter holds down the paint. But key questions remain about his playoff readiness and whether he can be the center who takes the team to a championship. Carter has had a solid season after struggling through last season. But he still must prove his worth as a rim protector and rebounder as the Magic try to climb back up the standin...

The Orlando Magic's defense powered the team to a third straight victory, stifling the Milwaukee Bucks 118-99. The team rediscovered its identity to get its third straight victory. Franz Wagner's long-awaited return also gave the team a much-needed energy boost. After several months of struggling to find their identity, the Magic have strung some quality games together. It feels like the Magic are...

The Orlando Magic are inching closer to being fully healthy again. Franz Wagner was upgraded to QUESTIONABLE for Monday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks as the Magic can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and their roster fully healthy. More than anything, the constant injuries hav eheld the team back the last two years. Their core three players played only 97 minutes together last y...

The Orlando Magic escaped with a shaky 120-117 win over a tanking Utah Jazz team. The Magic found their energy late in the third quarter behind some key plays from Moe Wagner. That is their defining trait and identity that carried them through their rebuild. It has been the biggest thing lost during a frustrating year. As they proved in erasing a 17-point deficit, when they play with energy and in...

The Orlando Magic silenced their critics for one night, crushing the Brooklyn Nets behind Jalen Suggs' first career triple-double. It was a much-needed performance and victory for a team trying to find its way. Despite all the frustration this season, the Magic opted to stand mostly pat at the trade deadline, making no substantial moves to add to the rotation. President of basketball operations Je...

The Orlando Magic made the deal everyone expected when they dumped Tyus Jones on the Charlotte Hornets to get under the tax. Time will tell if the Magic do more ahead of the trade deadline to try to bolster their roster. But the Magic cannot fix all of their problems at the deadline. There are big issues to resolve as the season winds down and the team looks ahead ot the offseason. The fact that t...