The Orlando Magic know Paolo Banchero will be masterful when he steps on the floor. The third-year forward has found his groove and resumed his superstar progression with a fourth straight 30-point game Tuesday against the Charlotte Hornets.
Orlando knows that in the tough times of a game, the team will be able to lean on him. The Magic will rise and fall on his shoulders.
Getting there, getting the stops and finishing games are what will determine whether the Magic can come back and win the Southeast Division and a home game in the Play-In Tournament. That is not something Banchero can do on his own.
The Magic's season has been measured in disappointment in the veteran players the Magic had to surround Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
But on nights like Tuesday, on the second night of a back-to-back, they needed more. As they venture into the Playoffs, their chances of fulfilling their potential and putting together a strong series will depend on so much more.
It will come down to the players who have struggled all year to fill their roles all season. Like so many things, it is better late than never. But the Magic do not steal a critical 111-104 victory over the Charlotte Hornets without the effort of players like Anthony Black, Gary Harris and Wendell Carter.
All three have fought through some difficulties this season and they are swinging games back in the Magic's favor as the Magic inch closer to the postseason.
"We haven't said it in a while, but that's the key with this group is by committee," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Tuesday's game. "Anybody who gets their moment to step into the game, you step in, you play hard, you work the right way and play the right way and continue to play Magic basketball down the stretch."
The clutch moments
The key sequence started with 3:40 to go when Banchero missed a pull-up three-pointer. The ball caromed off the rim toward the sideline and Harris tracked down the board. Banchero flashed to the foul line and stopped a step inside of it, draining the short jumper for a three-point lead.
After Nick Smith Jr. tied the game on a corner three, the Magic tried to answer. Banchero again got caught late in the shot clock in a stepback three. But Black came flying in for a putback dunk that put the Magic ahead for good with two minutes to play.
It would still take some big plays to finish the game.
On the next possession, Tidjane Salaün tried attacking the basket, but Wendell Carter met him with verticality to block the shot. Franz Wagner made a pair of fre throws to make it a four-point game.
For one last big play, Gary Harris hounded LaMelo Ball, making him lose the ball out of bounds and giving the Magic a chance to extend the lead to six points with a minute to play.
On another late possession, Carter switched out onto Ball and kept him from getting a 3-pointer off, forcing the ball out of his hands. Black gutted out the rebound that secured the win.
These are all plays that did not come from the star players. They were the kind of defensive plays that earned the Magic's trust in these players even as they struggled. They came through in this big moment.
Nothing has been promised
This season, nothing has been promised from any of those players. They have all struggled at various points.
No one has struggled more than Gary Harris.
The usually reliable shooting guard who slotted into the starting lineup last year has fallen off a cliff, shooting 30.9 percent from three. Take out his 6-for-9 showing in the opening game against the Miami Heat, and he is shooting 26.4 percent from three.
Harris has played 38 total games and has gone scoreless in 18. As a 3-point specialist, that hurts. It is hard to keep playing someone who is struggling to contribute in his role, even with the injuries Harris struggled with this year.
But the Magic have turned to Harris more recently. He and Anthony Black have tag-teamed to become a devastating backcourt duo off the bench, hounding ball handlers in the backcourt and forcing turnovers and steals. Harris and Black combined to force three critical turnovers in a 6-0 run that brought them back into the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Harris has carved a role for himself once again.
"His defense is something you probably wouldn't know unless you looked into it," Black said after Tuesday's win. "But he's one of our best guard defenders. His activity, he picks up the ball full court, he gets clutch rebounds and obviously he's a knockdown shooter. All of those things are huge for us."
Harris contributed with more than his defense in 29:11, the most minutes he has played all season. He scored six points, making 2 of 4 3-pointers, and added five rebounds and five assists. His late offensive rebound was not the only time he dug out an extra possession.
Harris made a lot of winning plays to extend possessions and ensure the Magic stayed ahead. And he did it while not feeling well prior to the game, according to coach Jamahl Mosley.
So too did Black. Even in an off shooting night, Black found ways to keep pressure on the basket and score. He never backed down on either end.
Black finished with 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting. He made only two of his eight 3-pointers. But he was aggressive getting to the basket.
Black has been on a tear recently, scoring 9.1 points per game and shooting 48.6 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from three in March. Black has scored in double figures in four of his last five games now, perhaps the best stretch in his career.
"I think it's just a mindset of us realizing that we can't take any games off, we can't give any games away," Paolo Banchero said after Tuesday's win. "We have to try to win every game up to the end of the season to put ourselves in teh best possible position. I think everyone has that understood. Tonight was a good example of guys being locked in for all 48 minutes."
And then there is Carter.
Carter has struggled throughout the season with his shot especially. He has looked far less explosive.
But since the All-Star break, he has found his bounce again. He is playing with tons more energy and producing more stats.
Carter is averaging 9.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in March, shooting a still icy 42.5 percent from the floor. Since the All-Star break, he is averaging 9.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Carter posted five points but grabbed 11 rebounds in the win over the Hornets on Tuesday. that included some turns helping slow down Ball. That versatility was critical in the win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday too.
Carter is not the player he was two years ago. But he has made huge plays. Plays that often do not show up in the box score.
That is what it will take from everyone on the roster—stars and role players alike. They have to find the little plays and their way to contribute. And that will add up to more wins—it has added up to the team's first three-game win streak since early December.