We are coming down the home stretch of the regular season and the Magic are peaking in the power rankings.
The Magic followed a six-game winning streak by dropping two of their last three games. But going in to the four-game road trip against playoff teams and hopefuls, splitting 2-2 is something Magic fans likely would have signed up for.
As a result, Orlando is sitting in the middle of the league in most NBA Power Rankings, ahead of even some teams in front of them in the playoff race (though some were posted prior to the loss to Toronto). Click on each publication for the full rankings...
ESPN - Magic remain at 15
The Magic are one of four teams battling for the final three playoff spots in the East, but they would be on the outside looking in if the season ended today. Their schedule this week includes two deep lottery foes at home and two road games against Eastern Conference powers, and the Magic likely need to come close to winning out to secure their own playoff berth. -- Andre Snellings
CBS Sports - Magic jump from 17 to 15
All hail Nikola Vucevic: The Magic are, somehow, still on fire. Since Jan. 31, Steve Clifford’s team is 18-8, with the NBA’s best defensive rating, nearly two points per 100 possessions over the next-best team. Should they make the playoffs -- and it looks like it’ll come down to the final week of the season -- the most important player is going to be Jonathan Isaac. Since Jan. 31, he’s been wonderful on defense and competent on offense, averaging 12.2 points per game and shooting 36.2 percent from three. -- Reid Forgrave
NBA.com - Magic jump from 18 to 15
The Magic still lead the league with nine losses after leading by 15 points or more. But if they make the playoffs, their third win after trailing by 15 or more may be the deciding factor. Jonathan Isaac had, perhaps, the best game of his career (19 points on 8-for-13 shooting) as they came down from 17 down (on the second night of a back-to-back) to win in Miami on Tuesday. Bench minutes were more critical in Indiana on Saturday, when the difference was a 28-11 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. Michael Carter-Williams hasn’t shot particularly well in his seven games with the Magic, but he was on the floor for that entire run and the team has allowed less than a point per possession in his 119 minutes. They still need help to end the East’s longest playoff drought, but they’ve won eight of their last nine games and have the tiebreaker over the Heat. -- John Schuhmann
Sports Illustrated - Magic jump from 14 to 12
No matter how this season ends for Orlando and how the offseason goes, the Magic have a piece that can either guide them into the future or will keep them in NBA purgatory. DJ Augustin has held his own this season and is a big reason why this team is competing for the postseason. But going forward, that needs to be Markelle Fultz’s job. And if it isn’t, the Magic will be relying on another “He’s still in the league” veteran to run the show. Is Jerryd Bayless looking for a bigger role? -- Khadrice Rollins
The Athletic - Magic remain at 18th
Orlando reached 38 wins on the season this weekend, and are very much in contention for the No. 8 seed. I still feel pretty confident that they’ll earn that eighth seed. They’re a half game behind the Miami Heat, but they also own the tiebreaker over the Heat. Orlando has a couple of really tough games remaining — load management pending — but they also have a game against New York and Charlotte. -- Zach Harper
UPROXX - Magic fall from 11 to 14
After a scalding-hot stretch, the Magic have cooled in losing two of three games. Both losses came on the road to playoff-caliber opponents but the bottom of the East is a jumbled mess and everyone knows it. -- Brad Rowland
Rotoworld - Magic at 15
Orlando won its 38th game of the season Saturday night in Indiana. The 38 wins are a 13-game improvement from last season, with five games still to play. That ties for the third-largest win improvement in team history. The largest is 20 games, from 1991-92 (21-61) to 1992-93 (41-41). -- Tommy Beer