Norman Powell and the Miami Heat have some self-reflecting to do following their latest 133-124 loss to the Orlando Magic on Jan. 28.
And if excuses were to pop on why they couldn't perform well against their in-state rival, Powell isn't having any of it.
Norman Powell calls out 'excuses' after Magic loss
Powell and the Heat were playing well throughout the first half against the Magic. They even scored 41 points in the second quarter to take a 68-59 lead at halftime.
However, they collapsed in the second half. They lost the third-quarter duel by a 40-20 margin, failing to recover from that display in the fourth quarter as Orlando never looked back.
Powell reflected on the loss after the game, per reporter Zach Weinberger. When reporters asked him about how the team will respond to resolve its struggles, the star guard made it clear that making excuses is unacceptable.
“We can't just keep making excuses for it, ‘we're a young team,' this, that, and the other,” Powell said.
“If we want to do something special. Well, we can't have that. There's young teams in this league dominating, coming out with the right energy, focus, and intent every single game. So it's something that we got to collectively band together and get right, or we're going to get left, and we're going to be looking back at how we could have done this, should have done this, and the other, so we got to get better, and it has to start now.”
More:Miami Heat considered 'leading suitor' for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Powell is going through the 11th season of his NBA career, his first with the Heat. The veteran guard is enjoying a career year as he's earning recognition for a potential All-Star selection. He is averaging 23 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game throughout 42 appearances. He is shooting 47.3% from the field, including 39.1% from beyond the arc, and 84.4% from the free-throw line.
Miami has a 25-23 record on the season, holding the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They are above the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls by 1.5 games. Meanwhile, they are even with the Magic for seventh place and trail the Philadelphia 76ers by one game.
The Heat will look to bounce back in their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Bulls as tip-off will commence on Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. ET.
More NBA news: