Magic blow another big fourth-quarter lead against Timberwolves

Minnesota scored 40 points in the fourth quarter, all after Orlando had taken an 11-point lead early in the quarter. The comeback was spurred by reserve guard Donte DiVincenzo, who keyed a 17-1 Timberwolves run with eight points, an assist and a big block in a four-and-a-half-minute stretch.

Paolo Banchero scored 17 points in the quarter, while the rest of the Magic put up just seven points. Banchero didn't turn the ball over, shooting 7-for-12, taking half of Orlando's shots. His teammates went 3-for-12, missing all five of their three-pointers, as the Magic ultimately lost to the Timberwolves, 118-111. 

Orlando fell to 2-7 in its last nine games, blowing big leads, late leads or both in four of those games. In one of those wins, a 111-109 victory over the Bucks on March 8, it almost blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead, letting its advantage dwindle to two points. It needed Damian Lillard to miss a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to escape.

It's not clear what's wrong with the Magic. Perhaps it's their over-reliance on Banchero and scoring in isolation — the Magic are last in the NBA in assists per game. 

Clearly, their crunch-time defense is lacking. It's a problem they need to address before the playoffs or, seeing as they've dropped to 6.5 games out of sixth place, before the play-in.