Magic continue tumble in NBA standings

The Orlando Magic's back-to-back losses Sunday and Monday dropped them further in the NBA standings. Through Monday's games, the Magic's 16-39 is the league's fifth-worst, and their 1-9 mark in their last 10 is the worst in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando still trails the New York Knicks, whom they host Wednesday in their final game before the NBA All-Star Break, by 4.5 games for the league's worst record. The Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers still stand between New York and Orlando in that area.

Elsewhere, the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, Orlando's last two opponents, now find themselves nearly neck-and-neck in the top half of the East. At 33-20, Washington holds a half-game lead over Chicago for the East's third-best record. And the hard-charging Cleveland Cavaliers, 9-1 in their last 10, are just a game back of Washington.

And while the Golden State Warriors still own the league's best mark at 41-9, the Atlanta Hawks' 43-10 mark isn't far behind. Further, Atlanta's 7.5-game lead in the East bests the Warriors' 3.5-game lead in the more competitive West. Indeed, the East looks like Atlanta's conference to lose at the moment.