The Orlando Magic face the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs with only 47 hours of rest after their play-in game. Despite the tight schedule, the Magic are relying on their past playoff experiences.
Key points
Orlando Magic had 47 hours of rest before playoff game
Magic's past playoff experiences are being leveraged
They faced the top-seeded Detroit Pistons
Magic won their play-in game against Charlotte
Orlando MagicDetroit PistonsNBA Playoffs 2024
(Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)
DETROIT — Two years ago, the Magic earned themselves six days of rest between clinching their spot in the playoffs and Game 1 of Orlando‘s 2024 first-round series against Cleveland.
Last year, the number of rest days dropped to five after the Magic beat the Hawks in the play-in and had to face the Celtics in the opening round.
This season, however, time wasn’t on the Magic’s side ahead of late Sunday’s first game against the top-seeded Pistons. In fact, No. 8 seed Orlando only had 47 hours between Friday’s tipoff against Charlotte in the win-or-go-home play-in game and Sunday’s start time at Detroit.
While the Pistons entered the series with a clear rest advantage, Magic guard Jalen Suggs viewed the situation differently.
“We’ve had a couple extra games but I think all that is just reps, which we’ve needed down the back stretch, especially getting everybody back and trying to put things together,” Suggs said at Sunday morning shootaround inside .
Q&A
How much rest did the Orlando Magic have before their playoff game against the Pistons?
The Orlando Magic had only 47 hours of rest before their playoff game against the Pistons.
What playoff experience do the Orlando Magic have from previous seasons?
The Orlando Magic had six days of rest in 2022 and five days in 2023 before their playoff games, which they are drawing on for experience this season.
Who are the Orlando Magic facing in the first round of the playoffs?
The Orlando Magic are facing the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.
What was the outcome of the Magic's play-in game before facing the Pistons?
The Orlando Magic won their play-in game against the Charlotte Hornets to secure their spot in the playoffs.
Related Articles
Soccer
Automatic promotion Ipswich's to lose as relentless Saints run continues
Ipswich Town's promotion chances are at risk after a tough match against Middlesbrough.
Sky Sports··1 min read
Soccer
Arteta: EPL 'starts again' after loss to Man City
Arteta claims EPL 'starts again' after Arsenal's loss to Man City.
ESPN News··1 min read
Soccer·Recap
Kimmich: ‘Special how we’ve got here’
Bayern Munich celebrates 35th Bundesliga title after 4-2 win over Stuttgart!
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Soccer·Recap
Are Man City now title favourites after win over Arsenal?
Man City defeats Arsenal 2-1, narrowing title race gap to three points.
BBC Sport··1 min read
MLB·Preview
Mariners Game Preview #23: Mariners (9-13) Vs. Rangers (11-10)
Mariners look to secure series win against Rangers today!
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
NBA·Recap
Player grades: Sixers stumble, fall to Celtics in Game 1 on the road
Sixers stumble against Celtics, losing Game 1 of playoffs 123-91
To Suggs’ point, Friday’s play-in game that the Magic won by 31 points over the Hornets was only the eighth game back for forward Franz Wagner, who returned April 1 after missing 17 straight contests and 48 total in the regular season because of a high left ankle sprain.
And it was only the sixth game back for guard Anthony Black, who missed 16 straight because of a left lateral abdominal strain.
“Obviously (the Pistons) are going to come out with a lot of energy and a lot of hype, so you’ve got to expect that and be ready for that, but we’ve been playing a lot of basketball so I think guys are fresh and guys are in rhythm,” Magic star Paolo Banchero said.
This year’s playoff series is the third for most of the Magic, including Banchero, Wagner and Black.
The only players on the Orlando roster that had more playoff experience entering Sunday were Desmond Bane, Jonathan Isaac and Jevon Carter. Bane played in 27 postseason games with Memphis, Carter in 22 with Phoenix and Milwaukee and Isaac in 17 because he was a part of the 2019 Magic squad that fell in the first round to eventual-champion Toronto.
Bane was added to the injury report for Game 1 on Sunday morning because of an illness, but he was expected to be available when he was listed as probable by the team.
“We’ve talked to him throughout the season about some of his experiences in Memphis,” Banchero said of Bane. “He’ll be ready to play.”
Although the 23-year-old forward has proven he’s capable of performing in the postseason, Banchero’s perspective entering this year’s playoffs is different than the past because of that prior experience.
“It’s a new season so I’m coming in with a clear head,” Banchero said. “Nothing that happened before matters. All that matters is that we … eventually win this series. It’s just a singular focus.”
And while Suggs wasn’t able to participate in last year’s postseason because of left knee surgery, he too learned a lot watching from the bench and playing against Cleveland two years ago.
“Runs are huge,” Suggs said. “Boston was so good at recognizing when a run could be made and capitalizing on that to carry the momentum. For us, it’s being dialed in, killing those runs before they happen, searching for ways we could find our own and then not getting too high or too low in the game. You need to stay even-keeled.
“That’s the biggest thing, especially on the road.”
The Magic will get two days to rest before Game 2 at Detroit, which tips off Wednesday night on ESPN. Thanks to the experiences of the last two seasons, Orlando’s players are aware that the level of intensity between playoff games only increases as they get deeper into a series .
“This is the most fun basketball,” Banchero said. “It’s the most high stakes basketball but it’s also the most fun to play.”
