Early in the fourth quarter, the Orlando Magic were frustrated with their offensive struggles. They could not quite get over the hump or get past a pesky Brooklyn Nets team that would not go away. It was easy to see heads starting to droop and the team looking toward the officials for some answers.
Brooklyn was pushing and prodding which typically is the characteristic of this Orlando team. They were getting a taste of their own medicine in many ways. And they needed to see how they would respond.
A lot of young teams might crumple with their offense stuck in the mud. But the defining characteristic of the best teams is they do not drop their level of physicality or intensity. They double down.
So in the fourth quarter, the Magic turned their frustration into production. They matched the Nets' physicality, forcing turnovers that turned into runouts. They found the little spark they needed to put the game away.
It could have been Cole Anthony digging out a steal and flinging the ball to Franz Wagner to find Anthony Black for a runout dunk. It could have been Cole Anthony again diving for a loose ball, allowing Franz Wagner to scoop up the steal and find Moe Wagner for a layup.
What the Magic understand as well as anything is that their defense is the one constant. That is what will carry them through any game and what has to be elite every game.
The Orlando Magic's 116-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets may not have been everything that everyone imagined. It was not the easy romp of a playoff team over a team likely headed to the lottery. This game was not easy.
But it was another test the Magic passed. It was another game where the defense had to take the lead and stay constant while the offense found its juice and some consistency.
That is who the Magic have to be.
The Magic were not satisfied with their performance. They know they have to be better. But Orlando knows now it can count on the defense to lift them when needed.
"I think historically when you look at any good basketball team, that's what they do," Franz Wagner said after Friday's game. "You can't always control if you are going to make shots or the other team makes shots, but controlling the process of how we get there. There are so many games and so many possessions, if you play the right way, it's going to pay off at some point."
A clunky game
Things were certainly not easy. Do not let the scoreline fool you.
The Orlando Magic may have finished the game shooting 52.0 percent and 15 for 30 from three, showing surprising and encouraging marksmanship from deep. They may have forced 19 turnovers for 25 points. They may have gotten to the line to make 23 of 33 free throws.
But this game was a pure grind.
The Nets walled up Paolo Banchero at every opportunity, ensuring he saw and felt multiple bodies every time he touched the ball beneath the foul line. He finished with only 15 points on 4-for-12 shooting. Banchero made only 6 of his 11 free throws, leaving a lot of points on the board.
He added nine assists and six rebounds to stay involved, including five assists in the opening quarter when Orlando established a firm lead. He still found a way to impact the game.
With Orlando's main offensive option in stasis and struggling to get to the paint, the Magic lost one of their best ways to attack. It was a struggle to get him and the team going.
He was not the only one looking frustrated. Coach Jamahl Mosley picked up a rare technical foul, defending Anthony Black after he was hit in mid-air without a foul call. It was a disjointed game, to say the least with both teams struggling to find the line physically and emotions getting to a boiling point.
Brooklyn was just pesky throughout the game. The Nets' veterans poked and prodded and kept them in the game.
The Magic's defense had to lock in to gain some distance. And Orlando buckled a bit but stood firm.
"I'm very happy with our guys' ability to respond," Mosley said after Friday's win. "I think these are great lessons that we have to learn because there are going to be a lot of games like this. Our ability to keep our poise, myself included, I think we've got to be better there. It wasn't pretty. It was clunky. Our guys did a good job making sure they finished it out in the end."
It was that kind of back and forth game, the Magic put on an 18-2 run in the second quarter only for the Nets to answer with a 19-3 run to get back into the game. That is how things went. Orlando would pull away but could not quite get over the hump only for the Nets to storm back.
But the team did not waver or quit. They did not back down. They did not let their defense slip for too long. And eventually, it delivered for them with a final blow in the third and fourth quarter to put the game away.
Magic recommit to their defense
The Orlando Magic have long known and professed that its defense will be the most important thing to carry it through the season. That is the team's identity. It is what led them to recover from their 5-20 start two years ago and guided them into the playoffs last year.
As much as the Magic have appeared to improve on offense, everything still grows from their defense. And the team is putting that into action as they talk their way through games.
Even though so many players are the same from the last three years, it is still something the team has to rebuild. To see the Magic dominant on defense in both games—they posted a stellar 102.0 defensive rating on Friday—is a good sign this team will have that in reserve again.
"Knowing we have to hang our hat on the defensive end of the floor, I think we let it get away from us for a few minutes," Jamahl Mosley said after Friday's win. "In the first huddle, we talked about we have to get stops. Can we string three or four stops together? I think there was a point we got five stops in a row which fueled our offensive break. I think that is what these guys talked about more than anything, it's the defense more than the offensive side of the ball."
The most consequential stat in the game was the 25 points the Magic made off of 19 Nets turnovers. Orlando forced 11 turnovers for 20 points. For as physical and hounding as Brooklyn was, Orlando was able to match. That is essential to the team's identity.
They did not let any of the frustration from the evening destroy their effort. They still dove for loose balls and dug out turnovers. They still stonewalled the Nets at the rim and gobbled up rebounds.
It is still so early in the season. Orlando is not going to be perfect. There is still a lot to put together. Friday's win was a reminder of that too.
This team is still forming and building its identity.
"You've got 82 games and you can't always have great days," Moe Wagner said after Friday's win. "Sometimes you suck. That's just how it is. You need to know what you're good at at all times and need to know what you can lock in even on bad days. This team knows that. It's two games, let's relax a little bit, regroup and find another way to win tomorrow."
But the Magic also passed their first test. They had to dig deep to pull out the win in the end. They had to lean on their core identity.
Knowing this early in the season that they can do that will go a long way in this team's growth and development.