The Orlando Magic's 17-point lead had already collapsed.
A 19-2 run from the last 90 seconds of the third quarter into the fourth quarter had given the Portland Trail Blazers a one-point lead and gave the Orlando Magic a feeling of deja vu, a day after they collapsed to open the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors turn into a rout.
Their offense hit a severe rut once again. The goodwill generated by passing and moving, finishing at the rim, and getting out in transition dried up. Suddenly, everything became hard.
Orlando needed something to calm them down. The team needed something to stop the bleeding. The Magic needed something to regain its grip.
They got it from an unlikely source on Tuesday in a 110-106 victory over the Blazers. They got it from the player they signed to give them the calm.
Yes, Desmond Bane ultimately came up with the biggest play of the game, blocking a Donovan Clingan layup with 12.2 seconds remaining and a two-point lead.
But in that moment, when the world seemed to be collapsing, it was the frustratingly quiet Tyus Jones who delivered the big shot. His 3-pointer with 8:08 to play after the Blazers briefly took a one-point lead gave the Magic the lead back for good and gave them a reason to be calm.
The Magic were not perfect down the stretch. They still struggled to execute and get good shots. But Jones became a stabilizing force, exactly what the team signed him to be.
"There were so many small pieces of this game that were part of winning plays," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Tuesday's game. "Tyus Jones coming in and playing with that level of confidence, hitting big shots, getting guys set up and organizing our offense. Things like that go such a long way."
Tuesday represented by far Jones' best game of the season.
He scored a season-high 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting and 4-for-6 shooting from three (on a night where the Magic made 15 of 33 from deep). He added seven assists and no turnovers.
In the fourth quarter, he scored five points and dished out one assist as the Magic struggled to close the game.
For the first time all season, it felt like the Magic needed more of Jones and his veteran stability. For the first time all season, it seemed the Magic got what they have been looking for from the veteran point guard.
Steadily improving
It has undoubtedly been a rough season for Tyus Jones.
The Orlando Magic signed the veteran point guard to bring stability and improve the team's shooting. He might be stabilizing the lineup, but he struggled to find his fit within the offense and the Magic's more laissez-faire approach to the point guard position.
He is averaging a career-low 3.2 points per game. He is averaging career lows everywhere. That includes shooting only 31.7 percent from three.
These struggles only highlighted his defensive shortcomings. Those are more apparent watching him play.
But Jones has turned something of a corner.
In his last five games, Jones is averaging 7.2 points per game and shot 8 for 19 from three. He tallied 18 assists against one turnover. Jones is back to being one of the best assist-to-turnover ratio players in the league once again.
Jones is at least more productive. The team might still bleed points when he is in the game -- the Magic have a team-worst -6.2 net rating with Jones on the floor for the entire season and in the last five games it drops to -7.9 points per 100 possessions.
But that may have more to do with all the injuries the team is facing. Jones is contributing more on offense. He has Jamahl Mosley's trust as a veteran guard.
With so few options available at point guard, the Magic certainly value the stability he brings. That is the thing the team is looking for most as they try to survive.
Search for stability
Tuesday's win was not really a win that was about Tyus Jones. He was hardly the only surprise source of scoring in a game where both Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane struggled to get themselves going.
Jones had his 16 points. Anthony Black scored 19 of his 22 points in the first half. Jonathan Isaac had a season-high nine points off the bench.
Orlando is still trying to pull everything together and scrape by with the injuries on the roster -- Goga Bitadze was added to the injury report and missed Tuesday's game with a knee injury.
To win this game and close out the Portland Trail Blazers, the Orlando Magic needed some stability and consistency.
That should come from the star players.
Bane finished with 23 points but on 6-for-15 shooting. He made four of his seven threes. That means he was two for eight inside the arc. In the fourth quarter he was just 2 for 8 to get to eight points in the quarter.
Banchero finished with 12 points and six rebounds. But he took only eight shots, making four.
Banchero was more content to get others involved and keep the ball moving, all continually positive signs that he is shaking his bad habit of holding the ball. Banchero has been a solid distributor this season.
"Paolo is playing winning basketball," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Tuesday's win. "That's what I think he knows and what he does. He saw Anthony Black had it going early, and then Desmond got it going and then Tyus had it going and he was just facilitating. You were calling plays for him and he is making the right play and the right pass."
It was enough to win because of the team's defense.
But when the offense was stalling out, the Magic needed a reliable source of scoring. That was a stability the team was missing with Banchero passing up shots.
In the final five minutes of the game, the Magic went two for seven with several poor possessions and a slowed-down offense. The Blazers were 3 for 11, unable to crack the defense to make up that final ground.
Orlando is still looking for offensive stability and hte lack of presence and force from Banchero and Bane's inconsistency as an attacker hurt in the final moments.
During this game, Jones did his job to bring stability and calm to the lineup.