The Orlando Magic did the work to make good on their blowout loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. They quieted doubts and concerns from their first game, taking control early and never letting go. They never trailed by 10 points in the game for the first time all season.
But every team has a run.
And when the Raptors made their run and took the lead at home with the Scotiabank Arena crowd going wild, it was the gut check the Magic needed.
How would their team respond? Would they fracture at this point, without so many players, and fall back into the frustrating habits that led to a 30-point loss? Would they come together and show the resolve to win?
Everyone is still unsure where this Magic team will land. It has been easy, with some of these frustrating defeats and the mounting injuries, to race to conclusions and make final statements on this team just four games into the season.
It is these moments when games hang in the balance and whether a team consistently responds that determines what team they can be.
Mark Friday's 121-114 victory over the Toronto Raptors in the tally of "this team will figure it out."
Facing one of the best defenses in the league after losing a nine-point fourth-quarter lead and now trailing by one point, the Magic put together back-to-back three-point plays, a Franz Wagner and-1 and a Tristan da Silva three to regain the lead and complete the victory to open NBA Cup play.
Orlando responded to the challenge that came from Wednesday's loss, turning it over just 13 times for 16 Toronto points. The team gained confidence from making shots and great ball movement -- 18 made threes and 30 assists on 39 field goals. Its two biggest stars delivered in big ways -- Franz Wagner with 26 points and 11 assists and Desmond Bane with 28 points and 6-for-12 shooting from three.
If the Magic are looking for a formula to win, they are starting to find it. But it all added up to a win. Someway, somehow, a win.
Making shots is kind of a big deal
The answer to many of the Orlando Magic's problems is still actually the simplest one.
The Orlando Magic went cold in the fourth quarter of their loss to the Atlanta Hawks. They shot worse than 30 percent from deep in the two blowout losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors.
They made better than 40 percent from three in the win over the New York Knicks.
Orlando made 18 for 34 (52.9 percent) from three in Friday's win. Desmond Bane made six of those threes and Tristan da Silva, hit with foul trouble in the first half, made 2-for-3 in the game. Jamal Cain made all three of his outside shots.
Making shots is a good thing. Even on a bad shooting team, when they make shots the defense will naturally defend the line harder and that opens the driving lanes for the Magic to get downhill.
Orlando has not made shots enough this year. But the team is getting the kind of open looks that make it dangerous.
Entering Friday's game, the Magic were shooting 19.5 "wide-open" 3-pointers per game, good for ninth in the league. They were making only 34.6 percent of them, good for 16th in the league.
The chances are there. The Magic just need to become more lethal from three.
Franz on/off
All eyes are clearly on Franz Wagner in the interim while Paolo Banchero is out. He is the team's star and driving force on offense. The Magic will need Wagner to step up and be a major impactor in all facets of the game.
It is not that Wagner has not done this.
Even before Banchero went out, the Magic still leaned on Wagner to be a connector and the glue to the team. His versatility was valuable wherever the team needed it.
The Magic always seemed to play better when Wagner was in.
That still appears to be the case. The Magic not only need Wagner to play well, but they need to play him as much as they can because there are still so few creators when he is not in the game.
The plus/minus story will tell a big piece of the story for the Magic.
Wagner ended the game with a +13 plus/minus. Jase Richardson (+26!) and Wendell Carter (+17) were the only two players to end up with more. Surely, Wagner had a hand in those numbers being so gaudy.
But undoubtedly, Wagner has a big hand to play.
The Magic are surviving the minutes he is out -- a 101.4 offensive rating with Wagner off the floor for the season and a 119.6 defensive rating when he is off the floor this season. That will be the case for a while.
Win the paint, win the game?
Because the Orlando Magic were such an unreliable shooting team, the motto for the Orlando Magic seemed to be: "Win the paint, win the game."
The Magic needed to dominate the interior to make up for their lack of shooting. Any game where they were not was a cause for concern.
This season has not followed that model.
The Raptors outscored the Magic 50-40 in the paint in Friday's game. The Orlando Magic have lost the paint in four of their five games -- the loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves is the only one they won. The Magic are 24th in the league with 44.4 points in the paint per game.
The Magic are relying on three-pointers much more.
But Orlando still felt like they dominated the interior. It helped to get to the line for 29 free throws and to put that pressure on the rim and on defenders to get the Raptors to back off.
In the fourth quarter, the Magic won the paint 12-10, holding the Raptors to 5-for-10 shooting on the interior. There were several big plays at the rim from Wendell Carter and the Magic's interior defense to close the game off.
The defense rode some ups and downs throughout the game. The Raptors scored 125.3 points per 100 possessions and Scottie Barnes scored 41 points. But the Magic made stops when they had to and maintained the lead.
That will be something to build on.
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