The Orlando Magic could have easily fractured late in the second quarter.
Jalen Suggs, the heart and soul of this team and the starter carrying the scoring and creating responsibilities with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner out, lunged for a steal on the perimeter and immediately went to the ground holding his lower back. Suggs did not immediately pop back up and that was what was worrisome.
Suggs eventually needed his teammates' help to sit up. He left the court in a wheelchair. The team called the injury back spasms and said he would be reevaluated when the team returns to Orlando on Saturday.
There was still a game to play and the Orlando Magic led by 15 against the Toronto Raptors. They would have to find a way again. And as they know as much as anyone, no lead is safe in the NBA.
This is what the Magic have had to do since Banchero's injury on Oct. 30. For the last two months, they have had to step up and fill in. "Next man up" as the team constantly rallies and cries. This Magic team has not blinked.
It should not be a surprise at this point that Orlando is going to rally and find a way—winning the game eventually 106-97. The team will defend hard enough to give offensive players enough time to figure things out. This team will keep winning.
But this is what the best teams in the league do. When they face injuries, they slide to the next guy and step up. They find a way.
The Magic have done that throughout the first half of this season. It is what they expect of themselves.
"We pride ourselves on that as a team being a tough, defensive-minded team that plays physical," Tristan da Silva said after Friday's win. "That goes for every single player that is stepping on the floor. We're just a tight group. Everybody really likes each other. We've got great team chemistry among the guys. That definitely helps when somebody gets out and the next guy comes in."
It would have been easy to think the Magic could come unraveled after Suggs' injury. But they came out of the locker room at halftime with the same resolve that helped them build a 13-point lead after the first quarter.
They maintained their surprisingly hot 3-point shooting—a team record-tying 12 3-pointers in the first half—by hitting another 5 of 10 threes and expanding their lead to 20 points. They got contributions throughout the roster from Tristan da Silva's career-high 25 points to Cole Anthony's career-high 11 assists to Goga Bitadze's near triple-double of 11 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to Cory Joesph's 11 points, the most points he has scored in two seasons.
So many players had to step up to the plate and fill in. But that is what this team does. It is what it has had to do. And that they have been successful shows what they still can do.
Resolve and determination
The Orlando Magic have had to show some real resolve to get through this difficult part of the season.
Coach Jamahl Mosley credited the team's quick decision-making for the open three-point looks that finally went down. Tristan da Silva said the team was playing easy basketball early on as the team shot and made confidently. Things were working early to build the lead.
For this Magic team, making a season-high 19 3-pointers and shooting 43.2 percent from deep is like relaxing for the first time. Things seemed so easy.
But the Magic's real grit and determination was evident in the fourth quarter.
Orlando's hot shooting finally cooled off and the team was starting to look like it was missing its best players. Scottie Barnes helped spark a run that immediately cut into the lead. The Magic's lead was in doubt as the Raptors finally cut it to nine with six minutes to play.
The Magic trusted their rookie da Silva to carry them to the finish line.
"I'm just really trying to take it all in as a journey," da Silva said after Friday's game. "I feel as a rookie, you are going to have ups and downs. There are games where you may not play as well and then there are games like tonight where you feel really good. I'm just trying to stay even-keeled and not let a single game define my mental headspace. It's working pretty well for me."
He hit a floater to extend the lead back to double digits. He found Goga Bitadze for a foul and a pair of free throws (he split them). It was da Silva entrusted to make the decisions and then to defend Barnes through the final moments of the game.
Tristan da Silva scored four points and helped keep Barnes to 3-for-7 shooting in the quarter as the Raptors tried to get back into the game.
As the Orlando Magic did against the Brooklyn Nets, they trusted da Silva to make the key decisions. And he had it rolling to earn that trust on both ends to finish the game.
"No, he's definitely not getting enough recognition as a rookie," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Friday's win. "He is doing it because he is playing the right way. He is trying to play the right way defensively and offensively. He is just trying to find ways to help this team win. putting the ball in his hands and having him make tough decisions at times is what he's capable of doing. He's willing to take on all challenges. He's going to continue to improve and grow as this team grows."
Keeping the faith
But to be successful like this means keeping the faith too.
Cole Anthony had made a lot of plays as the Orlando Magic built their lead in the second quarter. But he made one of his first eight shots. And with the Magic's offense in a rut, it was often Anthony stuck in the paint trying to find space to create a shot or dish out to shooters who were no longer getting open.
But Anthony made two critical jumpers. A turnaround fadeaway jumper in the paint gave the Magic a 12-point lead with four minutes to play. Then his runner off the backboard made it a 14-point lead and effectively put the game out of reach.
When Anthony plays under control he makes a lot of good decisions and has been crticial in several wins so far this season.
So much of what the Magic are doing right now is about belief. It is confidence and belief that the next shot is going to go in. It is belief that everyone will stay committed to the team's defensive identity to power the offense.
This is a team that believes in each other and their coach. That much has been evident throughout this season. They earned that belief with how the group has built this roster in the last three years. That is paying dividends now as the Magic face adversity.
They do not know if Suggs will be out long. They do not know when Banchero will be back, even as that date appears to be approaching very soon.
Who knows if Orlando will be able to sustain the team's winning with all the injuries the team has faced? The Magic need some relief.
But after two months of this, the Magic continue to prove what they are made of and what they can do. It may not be perfect every night. But the Magic continue to fight and prove their place. They continue to do what the best teams in the league do.
They just hope they will one day be healthy enough to reach their full potential.