Listening to the respective post-game comments of Magic coach Jamahl Mosley and Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, it would be challenging at first to decipher which side’s team actually lost Tuesday’s game at Rocket Arena without knowing the final score.

Here’s how Atkinson answered a question about how Cleveland stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden worked in unison against Orlando:

“They’re two talented players that understand the game,” he said. “High-level scorers, high-level playmakers. But I just told the team in the locker room, if we’re going to play defense like this, we’re going to have a short playoff stint. Right now we have a mentality that we are just going to outscore people, and we all know, when it comes playoff time, it’s not going to be that easy offensively. You’re not always going to shoot like we’re scoring now. So, if we’re giving up 132 points, 128, I don’t know, seems like every game, we’re not going anywhere.”

And here’s how Mosley replied when he was asked if there was anything else the Magic could have done defensively when facing elite scorers such as Harden and Mitchell:

“It’s tough,” he said. “There were times where we got it out of their hands and then they swing it to Sam Merrill, and he did an unbelievable job of reading the closeout and attacking it, getting downhill. We got him off the line and took his 3 away in that moment, but they understand rotations. They’ve seen it all, the guys that have been playing with them. And so, those guys also stepped up big. For us, we’ve just got to continue to make sure we’re communicating at the highest level, making sure we’re physical without fouling in those situations. But if we continue to play with a level of urgency and intent this way, we’re giving ourselves a chance every single night, and then we’ll come out on the other side of it.”

To be sure, Cleveland not only came out on top, 136-131, but also captured its fourth consecutive win. Mitchell (42 points) and Harden (26) combined for 68 in the five-point victory on NBC.

Meanwhile, Orlando lost its sixth in a row on a night that saw Paolo Banchero score 30-plus points (36) for the second consecutive game and 12th time this season.

“Those are two of the best one-on-one scorers in the league,” Banchero said about the Cleveland duo. “Harden kind of started it off and then Mitchell just got going as the game went on. He’s always a tough cover for us. I mean, it seemed like every time we got within one possession, they made a shot or got a 3 for somebody else.

“So, you’ve got to just tip your cap to players like that,” he added.

With Tuesday’s loss, Orlando fell to 1-6 when allowing 130-plus points this season. The outcome also marked the first time this season the team lost when scoring 130-plus points themselves (previously 8-0 in those instances).

During their six-game losing streak, the Magic have given up an average of 122.7 points per night (the eighth-most in the league during that stretch).

Of course, it’s worth noting that Orlando has been without  Anthony Black (left lateral abdominal strain), Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury management) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) for all six games and Jalen Suggs (illness) the past two.

Those four not only represent three of the top six scorers on the Magic, but also the team’s top defenders.

Still, Orlando isn’t making any excuses for itself.

“Our standard is always going to be our standard no matter who’s on the floor,” Mosley said. “This is the second night of giving up 130, and our ability to sit down and guard has got to be the first thing.

“Obviously it got away from us in that second quarter and then they had 33 and 31 on the back end, so we’ve got to just sustain our defensive effort,” he added. “And then we’ve got to know that that’s what’s going to carry us all the way through — our ability to get stop to get out and run, and not just trying to score the ball.”

Despite dropping its sixth straight after previously winning seven in a row, the Magic believe they’re close to flipping results back the other direction.

“We’re doing everything right,” said Jamal Cain, who made his first start in a Magic uniform on Tuesday. “We have the right mentality. We have the right energy. We’re trying to make the right plays. But credit to Cleveland, they played well. Donovan Mitchell had a crazy night.

“But all in all, we’re playing the right way,” he said. “We’re doing all the right things. The ball just hasn’t (gone) our way.”

And help could be on the way.

Although time is running short on a potential return for Wagner, he continues to progress in his extended rehab. On Monday, Orlando briefly assigned Wagner to Osceola for him to join the team’s G League practice, something that the Magic didn’t address until it was discovered on the G League’s online transactions log.

Given the limited practice time for Orlando at this point in the season, the move allowed Wagner to get in a session as another step in his recovery process. He was recalled to Orlando later in the day and Mosley spoke about it prior to Tuesday’s game.

“It’s very great that he’s taking these next steps and just seeing how his body responds to different levels of the treatment and what we’re putting him through,” Mosley said. “He seemed to pull up a little bit better (Monday) just as I saw him.”

But just as time is running out for Wagner to return, so is time for the Magic to rise in the Eastern Conference standings.

No. 8 Orlando (38-34) is just two games back of No. 6 Atlanta (40-32) and one game behind No. 7 Philadelphia (39-33), but in a virtual tie with No. 9 Charlotte (38-34) and No. 10 Miami (38-34). The Magic own the three-way tiebreaker with the Hornets and Heat because they hold the best head-to-head record between the three teams (Orlando is 6-3, Charlotte 4-4 and Miami 3-6).

In need of a win, the Magic host the Kings on Thursday when Sacramento (19-54) travels to Kia Center.

Wagner, Black and Isaac all remain out for the contest while Suggs was listed as questionable on the team’s initial injury report.

“Until we get some of those guys back, we’ve just got to lock in on defense,” Banchero said.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic vs. Kings

When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Kia Center

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida