After Wednesday's win against the Sacramento Kings, Paolo Banchero acknowledged he is not quite himself yet. His play has reflected that as he seems to settle for jumpers. His general decision-making has not been as sharp.
Banchero looks like himself in flashes. But the frustration is worn on his face. And the team is struggling as they keep their trust in their star forward. They are riding with Banchero as long as he will take them. They just hope it still gives them a chance to win.
That is part of the league though, grinding through rough patches. It is all about how you respond.
Banchero was struggling again Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs. He shot only 3 for 11 through the first three quarters. The Magic fell behind by as much as 13 points before a flurry from Franz Wagner brought them to a manageable seven-point deficit.
The Magic needed a response. That is what defines winning teams and what the Magic have struggled with in the last few weeks. Teams that struggle get hit with runs and stay down, the teams that win always fight back.
Orlando fought back, capping off a seven-point comeback in the final 3:36 of the game with a 10-2 run on a Paolo Banchero turnaround fadeaway jumper with 25.3 seconds left. He had his redemption and his answer. The Magic stuck with it and gutted it out for a lead.
They ended it with one last stop as Victor Wembanyama's shot at the buzzer fell no good and the Magic held on for a 112-111 victory.
The Magic still could respond with the effort and energy that had been so critical to the team's early success. They still had that ability to answer.
"I caught the ball and wanted to take my time, get to the spot I was trying to get to. I was confident if I could get to that spot, I was going to make the shot," Banchero said after Saturday's win. "If we would have lost this game, who knows? It was good that we won."
On the edge
The Orlando Magic have felt that precariousness for some time. They have felt on the edge, needing a win to take the pressure off after a 1-5 losing streak and losses in 10 of their last 12 games.
So many of those losses were characterized by the team taking a punch and never getting back up.
Banchero has needed that shot of confidence after the ups and downs he has had since coming back. He has not always responded the way he needed to the way he has struggled to shoot.
This was a perfect example of what the Magic need from him in big moments, even if it was imperfect.
Banchero scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, making four of six shots. He may have made some poor shot decisions, but Paolo Banchero stuck to his guns and made big plays—including two critical assists to Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac for threes to cut into the seven-point deficit, themselves stepping up and putting aside poor shooting runs.
This is what the Magic were not doing on the road. This is what the Magic have not been doing for the last month. They needed this kind of response to start a critical home stretch and get back in the Playoff race.
They showed they were not going down without a fight.
"I thought we showed a lot of character," Franz Wagner said after Saturday's win. "It's never easy after the trip that we had too. At this point of the season, there's no time to wait. I thought we did a good job in the second half of really stepping up our defense, especially in the fourth. Everyone who played had great energy all game. We need more of that. It gives us a chance every night."
The energy has been the calling card for the team when they were at their peak. It seemed replaced by frustration as they have struggled for the last several weeks.
There were moments where the team could have faltered. Things could have tipped the wrong way again.
After a back-and-forth first half that saw seven lead changes and 10 ties, the Magic fell behind by 13 on a 14-4 run where the Magic struggled to keep the Spurs off the foul line and struggled with turnovers and missed shots. Orlando left a lot of opportunities on the board.
They could have broken apart.
Orlando rallied behind a string of Wagner shots to cut the deficit to seven at the end of the quarter. He carried the team on his way to 33 points on 14-for-28 shooting.
Wagner set the tone with his will to try to keep the team in it. He made one of the biggest plays of the game, tracking down his own miss and calling timeout before falling out of bounds. That set up Banchero's game-winning basket. Everything else could sprout from that energy.
"Winner. Ultimate competitor. Ultimate winner," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Saturday's win. " The things he does within a game that people probably don't even recognize or see are the things great players do. He probably has one of the highest basketball IQs of anyone I have ever been around."
Everyone responded
Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero were not alone, of course.
Anthony Black scored 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting, hitting all three of his 3-pointers. Jonathan Isaac had 14 points and eight rebounds, making two threes himself.
Cole Anthony scored some important buckets with 13 points and even Wendell Carter had a strong run in the first quarter when the Spurs looked like they might stamp the game early.
They all made key energy plays—Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, Tristan da Silva, and Anthony Black each had two steals—that helped the Magic fight their way back. Everything might have revolved around the stars, but they trusted their teammates to get them over the finish line.
More importantly, Orlando did not blink, falter, or break apart when the team was down. It regained its composure to stay in the game and ultimately took the lead.
That is what the Magic have needed to see. This is what could save their season.
"Our ability not to get rattled, I really can't say enough," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Saturday's win. "You have to realize on the road, these runs happen, it becomes a little more difficult. When you are home and those runs happen, your crowd gets behind you, it changes the game. You understand the momentum shifts. Our guys feed off this crowd. Our ability to sustain those runs and not get rattled, and stay poised and make the right plays down the stretch. I thought our guys did a great job."
Banchero said on the road trip he believes the team needed one win to tip the scales back in their favor. They needed just one game to get their momentum and confidence back.
Of course, it does not come from one win. It comes from taking that win and doing what is necessary to win. It comes from weathering the inevitable storms in a 48-minute game and answering them back.
That is what the Magic were not doing on the road or for the last month. They would get hit with a big run and would be unable to come back.
Orlando answered the call Saturday on its return home. The hope is that will inspire the team to carry it forward to set this season back on course.