Something woke up Paolo Banchero.
A frustrating offensive game for every player on the Orlando Magic led to another offensive drought, causing the team to fall behind by eight at the half and by 15 in the third quarter.
The Magic again looked pretty dispirited and frustrated. They were 2 for 20 from three at one point. That frustration was clearly weighing on them.
Something needed to change. Something needed to rekindle the team's energy.
So when Banchero got to the basket and tried to lay it in, but followed with an and-1 layup, you could feel the tide turn to bring the Magic within one with six minutes to play.
He then built off that energy, stonewalling Saddiq Bey on multiple occasions and forcing a steal. That got the Magic in transition and the ball to Jalen Suggs for a rare three. The Magic were in the lead, and suddenly, momentum was fully on their side.
To win the game, they needed to play faster and more aggressively. They needed to fly around on defense and use that to generate offense. They needed to play with force.
To come back and defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 112-108 on Sunday, the Orlando Magic needed to find that energy. They will need that final energy to make one last push before the end of the regular season and likely into the Play-In Tournament.
It is essential to who they are.
"I think you've got to be able to win in multiple ways," Desmond Bane said after Sunday's win. "Whether we're making shots or missing shots, you can control our effort. The offensive glass is straight effort plays. I thought all the way up and down the board we had resiliency."
Orlando's formula has never been too complex. It has always been about energy. That is the trait that has defined them. It has something that has been lost for much of the season.
The Magic found their energy just in time to defeat the Pelicans and score that critical victory. The question is: Why has it taken so long for the team to embrace this critical aspect of its identity?
A stellar fourth quarter
The Orlando Magic let their poor shooting beat them for a good chunk of the game. That is how they fell behind by 15. It has been the problem that has defined the season.
The Magic struggled to make shots all game, finishing 7 for 33 (21.2 percent) for three for the game and 2 for 20 in the first half. They shot 43.0 percent overall. Jalen Suggs made only 3 of 17 shots through three quarters and 2 of his 10 threes -- and that was with two big threes in a third-quarter run to cut the deficit to six.
Orlando has far too often let their offense dictate their energy. The real frustration over how difficult executing on offense has become has led to a defensive downturn. But what defined this team was that energy and try-hard attitude that seemed to annoy teams when they played them.
In a timeout in the fourth quarter, the Magic needed to put their foot down and make their stand if they were going to make a push for the Playoffs. The win was a statement of will as much as anything.
"We needed all of it tonight," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Sunday's win. "We talked about finding a way to win the game. That's what these guys did. There was eight minutes left in the game, and the guys talked about forget what happened before, can we defend the right way? Can we have our assignments down pat? I think these guys communicated that and talked to each other about that, and I think that's just big for the group."
Their 31-20 fourth quarter was more of the picture of the way the Magic have always hoped to play. They held the Pelicans to 5-for-19 shooting (26.3 percent), forced five turnovers for nine points, scored five second chance points on three offensive rebounds.
Orlando played with force into the paint, speed and confidence. The Magic were the aggressors in the quarter. Gone was the passive play or hesitant frustration that led to the deficit growing against them.
The Magic posted a 124.0 offensive rating on 98.0 possessions per 48 minutes. In the middle two quarters, the team had only a 98.1 offensive rating on 108.8 possessions per 48 minutes.
This was a team more in control, but playing with pace and energy. And that is what it took to win the game.
That is what it has always taken for this team to win.
Where has the energy been?
It has been a trying season for the Orlando Magic.
The team had ideas for how it needed to play to take another step. All of them revolved around the team continuing its energetic defensive play and transferring some of that spark back to the offensive end. Everything has rested on the team playing fast and confidently.
That plan has not quite panned out for some reason. The energy and intensity have not always been there.
This season has become a season of uncertainty. When the team is at its worst, it feels like everyone is questioning every decision. And then too often trying to go at it alone.
With four games remaining, Orlando finds itself trying to find the right energy and the right way for this group to play. The team is still seeking its identity.
That answer was there all along. There is no other way for this team to play but with the pedal to the metal, trying to outwork the other team. Orlando has skated on talent for too much of the season.
The pieces came together in the end on Sunday. Desmond Bane scored his 27 points, Paolo Banchero had his 23 points and 15 rebounds. Franz Wagner hit a big shots. Wendell Carter hit several from the dunker spot.
More importantly, the team came together on defense. The team's energy must always start there.
The Orlando Magic find themselves entering the final week one game behind the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers for the 6-seed with four games remaining. There is still time to make another push.
It will start with their energy.