MIAMI -- You can tell the Orlando Magic's mood by the way Jalen Suggs is feeling and the way he interacts with others.
As Jamahl Mosley likes to say, the Magic need to play with joy. They need to exude the happiness of a young team finding themselves and revel in their swagger.
So look to Suggs, the team's heartbeat and the captain of their playful energy, to get a sense of how this team is feeling. His energy becomes infectious at that point.
With the Magic clinging to a six-point lead in the fourth quarter, Suggs got things going as the Magic turned back to their starters with eight minutes to play.
Suggs capped off a 10-0 run by catching Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle sitting courtside and giving him Waddle's signature penugin waddle dance.
When Anthony Black drained a corner three and gave his cell phone celebration for a 13-point lead with 6.5 minutes to play, it felt like the Magic were finally back playing with this joy.
The Magic finished the job for a 133-124 victory, snapping a four-game losing streak. The weight of frustration was lifted for a moment. The Magic answered the call with a smill on their face.
"We're doing a good job getting over the hump," Anthony Black said after Wednesday's win. "It's only one win, but we showed we can play the right way and with the right energy level. We stayed in the game, went down, and withstood a run and stayed locked in on the things that matter."
More than anything, coach Jamahl Mosley was proud of how his team faced all the struggles it had had in the last few weeks and answered them. The Magic could have broken as they have before, but they took what they have worked on and applied to the game.
At long last, the Magic looked a little bit more like themselves. At long last, they had the resiliency necessary to get a win.
Answering and responding
The Orlando Magic have gotten off to fine starts in the last four games. They have had moments where they resembled the team that many predicted would compete near the top of the Eastern Conference.
What has not happened is the team maintaining that consistency, and, most importantly, having the resilience to withstand runs and pressure from their opponents.
It has felt like when the Magic would take a punch from their opponents, and then quickly wilt. They would be unable to respond.
Orlando started strong, leading by 13 points in the first quarter. But that flipped in a 41-25 second quarter for Miami. The Heat made four of nine 3-pointers in the second quarter and got 10 free throws thanks to some early fouling. The Magic were unable to finish in the paint.
This is where the team has hung its head, letting the lead get too far away. The Magic trailed by 10 points in the second quarter. It could have been the same old story.
But Orlando responded in the third quarter. They found their groove and flipped the script with a 40-20 effort in the third. They hounded the Heat into seven turnovers. They made 6 of 13 3-pointers and 15 of 30 overall.
Orlando punched first and then remained the more physical team. The Magic did not really blink the rest of the game, stonewalling the Heat and making key shots throughout the game -- Paolo Banchero had 13 of his 31 points in the third quarter and Black added 10 of his 26.
"I think it's just all those things fell into place right now," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Wednesday's win. "You look at the third quarter as a prime example of that. We sat down, got dstops, we didn't gamble. We were able to go get easy baskets off our turnovers. We shared it and moved the basketball and quick decisions. That's what this team is capable of doing night in and night out."
Where the Magic let games slip away from these runs, they finally had a run of their own.
It was finally their determination on defense and will on offense. They were knocking on the door and at last, they got through.
Finding the joy again
But there is another element missing from this team. It is not just about the call and response. Orlando has a distinct personality and character when they play.
As Jamahl Mosley says, joy and playing with joy is an essential part of the team's character.
Undoubtedly, the team has been playing without a lot of joy lately. Losing has weighed on them.
Changing any of this would start with the team's attitude.
"I thought we had a good demeanor about our team as a collective throughout the game," Paolo Banchero said after Wednesday's win. "I wanted to come out with a big second half. I think the team came out with great energy, and I think we were the aggressors."
Orlando certainly took it to Miami throughout the game and made their presence felt in the second half.
The Magic made shots, but it was more than that. The ball was moving with 36 assists on 52 field goals. There was a purpose behind the offense, and everyone got a touch of the ball.
The ball rarely stagnated or stuck to one place. The team was much more energetic in its movement. That showed on defense as much as it showed on offense.
Orlando could embrace its personality a bit more rather than be mired in thinking what it needed to do. Mistakes went away quickly.
"It's key for this team," Mosley said after Wednesday's win. "That's the group that they have. They spend time together, they care about each other, they work together. All those things are big pieces of this group. When they can celebrate each other's success on any given night, that's so important for this group one game at a time."
It simply looked like the Magic were enjoying basketball again.
Winning can do that. But this was not some romp from start to finish. Miami tested Orlando and made them face their worst habits again.
They will need that feeling again. There is still work to do.
But Orlando could smile and relieve the pressure. They could dance and enjoy themselves a bit. That is something they can build on.