There were moments where the Orlando Magic could have folded as they have done time and time again during a horrible month of January. There were moments where the Magic seemed certain to lose everything small measure they had gained as the clock ticked down.
Wins are wins though. It does not matter how the team got there. The Orlando Magic just had to get there.
Down by 13 points in the third quarter, Scott Skiles pulled his team into the huddle and threatened some lineup changes if the team could not straighten out its effort and climb back into the game.
From that point forward, the Magic were a different team. They were crisp on defense, challenging shots and digging out loose balls and rebounds. They were moving the ball seamlessly on offense. Players were stepping up.
It all added up to a relieving 119-114 win over the Boston Celtics at the Amway Center.
Orlando may have finished this disastrous January at 2-12, but the team exited it on a high note, hoping to carry over the strong play.
Aaron Gordon, who tied a career high with 19 points, said the team was beginning to resemble the way it played in that 10-win December. He was a big part of that energy infusion.
Gordon blocked an Avery Bradley 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, highlighting his energy and passion throughout the game. He followed that up soon with a putback dunk on top of two Celtics defenders.
The Magic needed every ounce of effort too. The Celtics were not going down without a fight.
The energy for Orlando came from unexpected places too. It had to since the ordinary places have struggled so much this month.
Mario Hezonja came off the bench for a career-high 17 points, providing some aggression and keeping the Magic in the game through the second quarter. He kept it up with some big plays throughout the game as Scott Skiles finally gave him some room to make mistakes and make plays.
Gordon also provided energy. He was aggressive attacking the offensive glass well and attacking in general well. He helped dig out loose balls and rebounds and kept the ball moving, adding five assists and 14 rebounds to his career-high point total.
Evan Fournier also had his game going with strong shooting with 24 points on 6-for-8 shooting. The Magic offense was moving the ball well and breaking down the physical and pestering Celtics defense.
Orlando was far from perfect though. The team struggled to keep Boston off the glass and struggled handling ball pressure with Elfrid Payton playing only 14:45 with foul trouble.
The team is not anywhere near back to what it was in December when the Playoffs seemed more than realistic.
But this was an important step back in the right direction. After the last month, any win would have been.
The Magic for a short, but important stretch, played exactly how they had to.
