NBA: Magic out to shore up defensive effort vs. improved Nets

Teams have found it increasingly easy to score 120 points against the Orlando Magic in recent weeks. Aside from a brief three-game defensive lull last week, the Brooklyn Nets are showing signs of improvement on that end of the floor.

Coming off a rough defensive outing, the Magic will look to avoid being swept in a back-to-back matchup on Wednesday when they visit the rising Nets.

Orlando had won three straight games from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1 as part of their 13-8 start, but allowed 120 points in six of those contests. Since then, the Magic have gone 7-9 in their last 16 games, giving up 120 points nine times—including in each of the past three games against the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards.

On Tuesday, Orlando fell 120-112 in Washington, trailing by as much as 26 points. While the Wizards shot 45.3% overall, they made 11 of 18 shots in the third quarter, forcing coach Jamahl Mosley to bench his starters with 4:32 left in the period.

The Magic also committed 19 turnovers and 23 fouls, sending Washington to the free-throw line 33 times.

"We turned it over 19 times for 29 points; we're not giving ourselves a chance," Mosley said. "We put them on the free-throw line 33 times—that's tough to come back from. More than anything, our energy to start the game is where we have to turn the page."

Rookie Jase Richardson led Orlando with a career-high 20 points off the bench, while the reserves contributed 62 points total. None of the Magic’s five starters scored more than 15 points.

Desmond Bane, who had scored 31 in Sunday’s eight-point win over Indiana, was limited to 15 points, marking the fifth time in seven games he has scored fewer than 20. Paolo Banchero finished with 14 points but has averaged 25 points over his last five games.

The Nets had allowed the final 11 points in their 105-98 loss to Orlando on Nov. 14, dropping their record to 1-11. Since then, Brooklyn has gone 10-11 over their last 21 games and 8-6 in their past 14.

Brooklyn surrendered 369 points in three straight double-digit losses to the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and Wizards last week but rebounded with a 127-115 home victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

Michael Porter Jr., returning from a two-game absence due to illness, scored 27 points, marking his fourth straight game with at least 25 points, and added 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Six Nets players reached double figures in scoring, while Noah Clowney contributed 22 points after shooting just 3-of-22 from three over his previous four games. Day’Ron Sharpe added 17 points in place of Nic Claxton, who is expected to return after missing two games for personal reasons.

"I think we spaced the floor well, and that's good to see," Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernandez said. "It's great to have different guys scoring because that tells you you’re hard to guard. Our guys made some simple plays, and that’s encouraging."

—Field Level Media/Reuters