'We are enough': How the Orlando Magic scored another defining comeback

The Orlando Magic could not seem to get out of their own way.

A first half spent chasing the Brooklyn Nets on defense and struggling to find an offensive rhythm put them in a deep hole. They were frustrated even more with the officials, culminating in Jamahl Mosley getting a technical foul to end the third quarter.

It all put the Magic down by as much as 21 points, down by 18 at the half, down by 15 after three quarters, and down by 17 with 6:55 to play. It felt like the Magic would finally succumb to all the injuries and frustrations of a team missing so many key players, including now Jalen Suggs who left at halftime with a sprained right wrist and Anthony Black who missed the game with back spasms.

All hope felt lost.

That is not how anyone defines this Magic team. They are a team of try-hards. They fight until the final buzzer and do not know when to quit. If there is time on the clock, the Magic will fight.

That is ultimately what it means to wear "Magic" across their chest. That is the culture and the identity the team is trying to build. It seems easy to believe when everyone is healthy and everything is perfectly in place. It is much harder to believe it when things are imperfect.

As the Magic have done so much during the last two weeks since Franz Wagner's injury, they are making believers of everyone, closing the game on a 22-4 run to defeat the Nets 102-101 in another shocking victory for this undermanned Magic team.

"It says that we are enough and we have enough no matter who is on the floor," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Sunday's win. "We know how we're going to defend, we know how we're going to communicate, we know how we're going to keep fighting. When you step on the floor and play for the Orlando Magic, this is how you are going to play. This is what you're going to do. We're going to scrap until that final horn goes off."

There was still clearly time on the clock and the Magic were not going down.

A crazy comeback

Tristan da Silva kicked off the 22-4 closing run by faking his defender and getting a free floater. The rookie forward scored 13 of his career-high 21 points, making five of six shots, in the fourth quarter.

The Orlando Magic put the ball in his hands with so many playmakers down and trusted him to make the big plays. He made several including a run of a fadeaway jumper, 3-point shot and layup that cut the deficit from nine to four. That layup drew a foul to bring the deficit to three with 1:18 to play.

The Magic went deep into their bench, closing with sharpshooter Caleb Houstan on the floor. That proved the right decision as he hit a 3-pointer with 49.3 seconds left to tie the game and a steal that gave the Magic a brief lead on a Goga Bitadze free throw.

Still, it came down to one final shot.

The Magic trailed by one with 6.2 seconds left. They ran a play designed to get da Silva the ball cutting to the opposite corner. But the inbounds pass took Cole Anthony toward the hoop and the area da Silva was meant to occupy.

Anthony adjusted quickly, using da Silva to bump his man and get to the basket, where he hit a floater with 1.3 seconds left and the win.

The Magic literally used every second to complete this comeback. They never stopped fighting.

"Me and Tristan are probably mad cool right now because I hit it," Cole Anthony said after Sunday's win. "If I missed it, he probably would have been mad at me. It wasn't that one shot that won us that game. Tristan made several huge plays down the stretch, Caleb made several huge plays down the stretch. It was a true group effort. It wasn't just one person.

Overcoming the struggle

There obviously had to be big plays to get the Orlando Magic over the hump. They had to make shots and find a way to get energy back into the game.

That proved to be a struggle throughout much of the game. Orlando struggled with turnovers in the first half committing 11 for 15 Brooklyn points in the first half. This has been a major theme for the Magic for several games and throughout the season.

But the Magic committed only two turnovers in the second half. They did not turn the ball over in the fourth quarter.

That gave Orlando a chance to execute its offense and set up its defense. The Nets scored only 40 points in the second half and 18 in the fourth quarter. They made only 5 of 18 shots and turned it over six times. Doing that allowed the Magic to control the pace and pick up their defense.

It allowed them to play Magic basketball. And when this team does that, they can win with anybody out there.

"Everybody's poise and toughness, the kind of next-play mentality, everybody is showing that," Tristan da Silva said after Sunday's win. "And then just making huge plays. Everybody is doing their job, everybody is consistent with it. The way he's staying ready and comes into the game makes a huge impact. It's phenomenal. You kind of see it every game."

Fighting past adversity

The Orlando Magic have had plenty of adversity to fight through this season.

It was two months ago that Paolo Banchero went down with a torn right oblique that he is closing in on a return from. It was two weeks ago that Franz Wagner tore his right oblique and began his long process to return to play.

It seemed those two injuries would sink the Magic. It seemed like there would be a lot more lifeless games like this one. After a hectic two weeks filled with wild wins and some disappointing losses, it looked like the Magic ran out of gas.

Orlando has a steep hill to climb every game. There have been more cracks recently with the turnovers and fouling that paint plenty of frustration on the team's faces. The Magic have had to overcome a lot.

It says so much about how they continue to fight. That gets to the core of their identity. They adapt and keep fighting. They have learned and grown from experience.

"I think you have to reflect a little in those moments about what we went through in the last couple of games and how we could have let the emotions of the game—whether that is officiating, whether that's calls or whether that's shot going in or not, you have to reflect back," Mosley said after Sunday's win. "We said that to them in one of the moments within the game, we have been here before. Can we use that passion and that intensity and that energy to bring us together? That's what these guys did on the back end."

The Magic brought themselves back. They rallied together and they found a way to gut out a victory. That is who the Magic are.

The Magic would certainly like to eliminate the need to make these kinds of wild comeback wins. But they know they have the fight and will to finish these games when the opportunity arises. They know what it means to wear the Magic jersey. They continue to define their culture.