Weekly Magic Power Rankings

The freefall continues. In one ranking, the Magic actually dropped to third worst in the league, ahead of only the Bulls and Hawks. Read on, if you dare, but be warned that it is not pretty. Click on each publication for the full ranking.

ESPN – Magic fall from 17 to 22

Remember when the Magic were first in the Eastern Conference? They've come back down to Earth in a major way, losers of their past eight games by more than 15 points per game. In that time, their defensive efficiency ranks last in the league. -- Vincent Johnson

CBS Sports – Magic fall from 20 to 28

It's one thing to lose eight games in a row. It's another to so frequently get blown out during that stretch of losses. The offense has completely regressed from what it once was. -- Chris Barnewall

USA Today – Magic fall from 18 to 25

The Magic have lost eight consecutive games by an average of 15.1 points — a stark contrast to the 8-4 record and plus-4.7 point differential they owned to start the season. -- AJ Neuharth-Keusch

NBA.com – Magic fall from 18 to 24

It turns out that neither the Magic's own 3-point percentage nor that of their opponents in their first eight games was a sustainable number. The increase in the latter has been the bigger problem as they've lost eight straight to fall from third to 12th in the Eastern Conference. Over the streak, they rank 29th in opponent 3-point percentage, 30th in opponent turnover rate, 27th in defensive rebounding percentage, and 30th in overall defensive efficiency. They've played four top-10 offenses in the eight games and will play two more this week, with the exceptions being the 11th-ranked Knicks and the team that has Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. -- John Schuhmann

SI.com – Magic fall from 17 to 26

You see this? This is me officially losing all hope in Orlando. The beginning of the season was fun, but it’s clear now that even in the East the Magic are not serious playoff contenders. Aaron Gordon is probably on his way to a breakout season, but this team is still very much in rebuilding mode. – Kenny Ducey

Sporting News – Magic ranked 25^th

Quarter-season surprise: Aaron Gordon’s fourth season has gotten off to a great start. He is averaging 17.5 points, shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from the 3-point line and collecting a career-high 8.1 rebounds.

Quarter-season disappointment: Inconsistency plagues this team, and their inability to handle adversity has sent them spiraling into an eight-game losing streak. They rank 23rd in defensive efficiency. – Sean Deveney