POSTGAME REACTION: Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors, 3/17/24.
A great job you hold another team under 100 points what was the mentality coming into this one tonight uh you know we played these guys a couple days ago and uh they killed us in transition you know I think they’re the number one transition team in the league so we knew
Uh coming into this game we’re going to have to lock in cuz they they they killed us on that side in the first game so that was the main focus just making them play in the half court how about your team’s defensive effort all year as
You gear up for the postseason run here what are you guys seeing defensively with your group same thing it’s been all year you know didn’t have ji tonight so we had to step up as a group defensively you know and just make up for his
Absence and I thought we did a good job how about you Paulo we know what you can do in the fourth quarter we’ve seen you hit so many clutch shots what’s happening in the third quarter you’re taking over these basketball games now in the third I would I would blame it on
Not being as satisfied as I would like in the first half I think I always you know if I if I struggle in the first or I’m not as playing as well as I want to in the first and I’m going to make sure that third I turn it on how about your
Team right now the way you’re moving off the basketball B you had a lot of terrific back Cuts tonight what are you seeing about the way you’re moving off the ball yeah you know we just playing together as a team especially on offensive side getting everybody involved um you know guys are feeling
Good right now you know everybody’s touching it everybody’s moving and uh everybody’s you know getting what they want and uh you know we just want to keep this momentum how fun is this right now PA it’s fun it’s fun you know I think it’s win number 40 so we’re headed
In the right direction we just want to keep rolling all right last thing your Duke Blue Devil has got the fourth seed they’re going to play Vermont fourth seed they’re going to play we’re going to to play Vermont in the first round give us a breakdown Vermont’s not going
To be easy game so I hope they hope they ready for it um but you know hopefully this year we can make a run you know I’m excited go Blue Devils baby all right good luck fron Vagner kind enough to join us and fron congrats on the victory
Here tonight what a perfect way to start this eight game home stand what was the mentality going into this one I I know you wanted to start with the win here tonight for sure especially having them just played so um you know we kind of took a playoff approach or what we know
That to be and um you know try to improve on what we did last last game not so well and um that was mainly transition keeping it on a transition I think we did a way better job in that second half um I think that was a huge
Part of our win tonight you mentioned a physicality fron in playoff basketball are you seeing a ton of that here you got 14 games remaining there’s not a lot of fouls being called this is getting pretty pretty physical here the last few weeks yeah I think it is I think uh it’s
Not just our games though so um you know I heard the broadcast the other the other night they were talking about it as well and um um I think it’s was just on us players to adust to that and I think uh most of the players I think
Honestly like it a little bit more most teams um but obviously it takes a little bit of time to get adjusted are you guys aware of how rare it is to be in town at home for a month straight y’all are about to be home for a full calendar
Moner I’ve played in The League 13 years and I’ve never seen or heard anything like that no for sure um I mean yeah you you’ll definitely take it especially at this at this point of the season um we need every game that we can get and um
Obviously we we like playing at home um a little bit more so um I think we’re all really excited for it but we we got to stay focused and make sure we we have a good home stretch here take us through your performance tonight you had 19 against Toronto on Friday 22 here
Tonight everybody knows you’re trying to get to the rim and you still fron get to the rim continuously how are you able to do it and how are you seeing defenses try to adjust to you yeah obviously they do different stuff in a pick and roll or
Um you know on my drives um I think I think I still got to get better at reading reading to help defense a little bit making making decisions from there but um I think on my size and the way we play I think uh yeah getting to the
Paint isn’t isn’t a huge thing I think just after that um what decisions I make I still got to get get a little better at that did does MO have this same energy around the house and off the court because I it seems like he never
Calms down like do I know you the little brother do you ever find yourself just like bro just chill a little bit I think it depends on the day but there’s definitely days where uh where he brings the same energy and I think that’s just his his normal character I would say but
Um there’s definitely moments where you know I kind of notice he needs to offset that a little bit and he’s super chill at times as well well how happy are you and how proud are you of Mo we know he’s got energy we know he always brings it
But he’s been so productive the last few years as well we’ve seen a ton of growth in his game on the floor also I’m super happy for him um I think shows a lot of uh character um to look at his career how it went so far and um know the role
That he’s carved out for himself in in this league so uh super proud for him uh of that obviously as a as a younger brother and continues to be a role model for me bronze your first year in the league 22 wins right you’re you’re trying to grind it out learn how this
League Works last year you take a huge jump 34 you’re sitting at 40 with 14 games remaining how much fun is this right now what you guys are accomplishing it’s super fun I think it’s I think the coolest part is that you know the majority of guys that that
Are on the team now um went through that same stretch and um I think it’s cool that that we were able to grow together as a group and um like I said the these are these are the most important games now the season so we got to make sure we stay
Focused hey who sings the song the theme song the best in the locker room I need to know because I know it’s a Ki song I don’t know if y’all know the whole league is catching wind up y’all got a fire theme song yeah we got to keep
Winning I I’d say Everything music I go with truma um I think that’s a pretty easy one yeah all right cuz we’ve heard them all we’ve heard jayen jayen sings it Cole hey whatever you have to do keep winning the song is great but the WIS are awesome keep it going exactly exactly
Thank you guys points last time we played him uh to hold them to you know 16 tonight I think is something that you know we made a point of emphasis and the guys did a great job of honing in on that you make that first half where
Maybe it felt like you guys were going through the motion a little bit and just I don’t know I guess this the first half really was kind of back and forth until the third I mean it’s it’s it’s one of those games it’s tough to you know play a team
Twice um and they did a very good job of making some adjustments they mixed it up playing some Zone through some different things out there uh but again you give our guys credit for staying the course you know every game is not going to be you know high flying going getting up
And down you know our guys are finding ways to win and I think that’s important in this league that even when the games aren’t pretty you find a way to win just kind of on that point the last three games team really took control in the third quarter kind of right out right
Out of the locker room what what that say about this team’s development and growth to to come out of locker room you know apply whatever adjustments were made and and put their put their foot down a little bit in at the start of these games it’s what we’ve continue to
Ask them to do and what they’re taking responsibility and ownership of doing uh coming out of the locker room the right way uh making sure we’re doing on the defensive end first and then continue to share and move the basketball our coaches are doing a great job of at halftime seeing the adjustments
Understanding what we can do better uh we’ve got a bunch of open looks tonight that did not fall uh but those are the looks you want to get and our guys are continuing to try TR the past and trust each other the start the starting group
Uh has played together now for for for a little while what what are you seeing from that that group and and how much how much comfort is there in in in that group to work to work well together there’s a continuity and a chemistry that they they continue to build um
Understanding when you know Paulo’s getting double team the the matchups that France may see Jaylen doing a great job on the ball picking up and then just stepping into his shots with confidence you know Gary had a ton of open looks tonight uh and that he’s going to
Continue to work to be able to knock those things down but there’s just a chemistry and a flow to that group uh that would just that continues to build in just over 20 minutes tonight you know Jaylen didn’t really fill up the box score with 10 points but just
His impact was felt all evening night you just talked about it with him picking up full court just can you talk about the impact he has in the game even when it doesn’t show up on the box score and he does that for a ton his his level
Of energy his his ability to pick the basketball up uh change Defender Minds about where they’re going on the floor his disruption his toughness his physicality I think he just continues to do that for us uh you know the fact that he was able to you know knock shots down
As well uh to be able to space the floor I think that’s that’s a continued added bonus coach what do you think about Paulo’s performance tonight obviously struggled a little bit on Friday against Toronto so how do you feel like he came out tonight and really took the game in
His in his own bag I think that’s the mark of a great player you know you understand what what the how a team’s playing you uh in one situation and you don’t come back out and force it I thought he did a great job of letting
The game come to him he was able to get downhill find the right thing find the right things in the game uh make the right pass uh he found his teammates a ton and I just think his ability to be aggressive uh the right way is exactly
What we’re asking of him to do
The Orlando Magic defeated the Toronto Raptors on Sunday by a score of 111-96. Hear from Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and coach Mosley on the win!
