The Orlando Magic returned home from their back-to-back road trip sitting in a place they have not been in very much this season.
They were in control of their own destiny.
It is not some cliche one-game-at-a-time, take care of your own business control. They literally controlled their own destiny for the 5-seed, not the 6-seed or the 7-seed. With games still to come against the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat, they could win their way into the 5-seed and keep distance from the teams beneath them.
There is still a lot of work to do. There is a lot of season left, even if that time is starting to dwindle, and the pressure is only growing game after game.
But considering the Magic have dealt with so many injuries and have seemingly been climbing the mountain to escape the play-in, having some small sense of control over their destiny feels like an accomplishment to build on.
It also means the Magic are playing their best basketball of the season. And ultimately, what every team wants is to be peaking at the end of the season. The scramble to make this climb is certainly a sign that things have begun to click at long last.
But the race is far from over. And the Magic entered the season not simply wanting to make the Playoffs. They want to get out of the first round. And while that task still seems much harder, it is still possible.
Orlando still has a lot to prove in the final quarter of the season. And a lot of questions to answer ahead of an offseason that still feels absolutely vital as this team tries to jump into the contending class.
There are still a lot of goals unrealized. And every moment is a point of analysis for the future. Just as much as there is still something to fight for this season.
These are the five questions the Magic must answer in the final quarter of the season:
1. Will Franz Wagner help this team finally be whole?
The Orlando Magic simply have not been healthy. And so with the team climbing to fifth in the Eastern Conference and escaping the Play-In race, to some extent, they can claim that the only issue was injuries. They have not seen their team on the court long enough.
Franz Wagner has played just four games since Dec. 7. The Magic's main quartet of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs have played a total of 137 minutes together across 13.
There is proof of concept too because that quartet has a +11.8 net rating (119.7 offensive rating/107.9 defensive rating). The starting lineup with Wendell Carter has a +14.0 net rating (120.1/106.1) in 126 minutes together.
The last few weeks have been spent waiting and hoping that Franz Wagner would return from the high ankle sprain that has kept him out for most of the last three months. He is now on the court doing non-contact drills. That is a positive sign, but still one that does not guarantee he makes it back in time to ramp up.
Wagner creates loads of matchup advantages for the Magic and difficult decisions for opposing defenses. It feels highly unlikely the Magic will be able to advance in the Playoffs if he is not up and running.
And so the Magic are left waiting and hoping.
2. Can Paolo Banchero maintain his efficiency?
The story for most of the season, particularly with Franz Wagner out of the lineup, is whether Paolo Banchero can carry the team into the Playoffs. There is a lot of doubt about Banchero because of his past inefficiencies.
Everyone recognizes he is a Playoff performer. But this season has been difficult for him as he overcame the early-season groin injury.
While a lot of the Internet continues to draw its conclusions on him, Banchero has quietly been answering their calls and putting a lot of those criticisms to rest.
In the third quarter of the season, Banchero averaged 23.4 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game. He had shooting splits of 46.5/35.4/79.6. Things have been significantly better since the All-Star break.
Most importantly, in that period, the Magic had a +1.1 net rating with Banchero on the floor. The Magic were finally better with him on the floor. And that has only increased in the time since. After the All-Star break, the Magic have a +12.0 net rating (114.7 offensive rating and 104.7 defensive rating) with Banchero on the floor.
Whatever reset Banchero underwent during his All-Star break in the Bahamas, it has worked wonders for him. And the Magic need this more efficient, patient and explosive Banchero the rest of the season.
3. How high in the standings can the Magic climb?
When the Orlando Magic hit the midpoint of the season, it felt like the team was in survival mode. They were just trying to stay in contact in the race for the 6-seed and avoiding the Play-In. It seemed like it was just a long wait for Franz Wagner to return and for the team to be healthy at long last.
For much of the season's third quarter, the thought was the same. Just survive and keep everything together to try to climb out of the Play-In.
It felt a little bit like a lost season and a lame-duck season with how disappointing the team was playing.
The team was seemingly resigned to its fate -- too good to suffer a long enough losing streak to tumble below .500 and out of the 7/8 game, but not able to string enough wins to push up the standings and compete to get out of the Play-In.
A six-game winning streak has completely changed that narrative, just as the team's current run of 12 wins in the past 16 games has pushed the team more comfortably out of the Play-In race and into the race for fifth.
The question now is no longer about survival, but how high the Magic can climb. They can again put expectations on themselves.
Avoiding the Play-In is a necessary at this point. Everyone will be deeply disappointed after this stretch of games if the Magic end up having to play the Play-In game and risk their playoff spot. Climbing to fifth seems like a worthy accomplishment considering where this team is at.
Climbing to fourth? That might be getting a bit greedy. But two games is not that far. And perhaps the goal of homecourt advantage is still achievable.
The point has become the team has hope, belief and confidence again. That can go a long way.
4. Can the Magic's switching defense maintain this intensity?
The biggest confusion throughout the season has been the Orlando Magic's lagging defense.
After establishing the team's identity as a physical and precise defensive team that ranked second in the league last year, they fell off significantly this year.
Entering the third quarter of the season, the team ranked 11th with a 113.4 defensive rating. That was a far cry from where the team expected or needed to be, considering their offensive struggles.
In the third quarter of the season, the Magic began to recover. They remained 13th in the league in defensive rating but allowed only 112.1 points per 100 possessions. It was a slight improvement.
The team has gone into overdrive defensively since. They are committing to switching far more often and crowding the paint and ball handlers. It has hurt their rebounding, which has mostly been sterling all season, but it has brought their defensive intensity back up.
That is their bedrock. And you can trace this team's turnaround this season to the team finding its defensive intensity once again.
5. How does the bench rotation shake out?
The Orlando Magic have had a lot of struggles with their bench this season. For the year, Orlando is averaging only 31.4 points per game off the bench this year.
Part of that is the injuries have put otherwise big bench players in the starting lineup, like Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva. The Magic have had to scramble to put lineups together all season long.
But it should be clear that one of the big tasks for the Magic this offseason is to bolster their bench and get more attack-minded players to help sustain minutes and injury-proof the roster some more.
Until then, Orlando has to work with what it has. And there are several big decisions to make.
Does Franz Wagner come off the bench when he returns from injury, maintaining the starting five that has been working well during this win streak? How long will the Magic stick with Jett Howard in the lineup? With Jonathan Isaac out, is Noah Penda ready for Playoff-level minutes, or will the Magic need to shrink that rotation?
And, perhaps the big one, is Moe Wagner recovered enough from his return from the torn ACL to man the backup center minutes in the Playoffs or do the Magic need to have Goga Bitadze ready?
There are a lot of frustrating choices and gambles that Jamahl Mosley will have to make to end the season. And the team's success might depend on making the right ones.
He has a starting lineup he can mostly count on. And there are some veteran players and combinations he has leaned on to some success.
But the Magic are where they are for a reason beyond their injuries. And sorting out the bench remains a key but quiet issue in the noise of this season.