It was late in the second quarter when the Philadelphia 76ers seemed to have enough.
The Orlando Magic were running circles around them, and somebody needed to take a physical stand. They needed to create some kind of spark to get themselves back into the game.
That is when Andre Drummond started doing some hand fighting with Wendell Carter as the Magic tried to initiate a set with less than a minute to play. It really started a possession earlier when Drummond got in Carter's way going up court, a little act of physical annoyance.
Carter brushed away Drummond's hand several times before the officials called a foul on Drummond. Drummond then tried to square up on Carter, creating a viral nonplussed reaction.
The scuffle ended with Jalen Suggs getting ejected for jumping into the fray to protect his teammate. But it is a symbol of how the Magic's physical, grating style can get under opponent's skin.
It happened with Jaylen Brown after the Orlando Magic defeated the Boston Celtics two weeks ago. It happened again late in the third quarter on Friday when the usually quiet and calm Cade Cunningham yelled at officials after the Magic bumped him one too many times on a drive to the hoop.
Orlando has always been unapologetic about its physicality. They do not hide from it at all. It is a key part of their identity.
And it is a part of their identity that is coming out more and more.
"We have just established our identity on the defensive end," Carter said of the team's last two games after shootaround Tuesday. "I think that was something we were missing to start the year. Just kind of getting a feel for one another. Offensively, we've started to click. When we added guys like Desmond [Bane] and Tyus [Jones], it was only a matter of time before they started to get into their groove. I think we are in a good spot, but we are definitely not satisfied."
The Magic's offense has been the big story as they climb into the top 10 for the first time in more than a decade. But everything for this team starts on defense.
That identity is taking hold.
Defense rounding into form
The Orlando Magic indeed put in two of their best defensive performances of the season to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. Orlando posted a 96.3 defensive rating against the Sixers and a 104.8 defensive rating against the Pistons, two of the top five defensive games by the numbers this season.
Orlando still has some rough defensive games -- like Sunday's loss to Boston, played without both Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter -- but the team has quickly regained a foothold among the best teams in the league.
The Orlando Magic enter Monday's game against the Chicago Bulls with the eighth-best defense in the league at 112.4 points allowed per 100 possessions.
During the last 10 games, Orlando ranks fifth at 110.6 points allowed per 100 possessions.
No matter how anyone slices it, the Magic are starting to find their defensive groove. It is easy to see in the numbers just as it is easy to feel when watching the games. The Magic more resemble the dominant defensive team this franchise has leaned on the last three seasons.
"That process is what we're trying to accomplish offensively and defensively," coach Jamahl Mosley said after shootaround Tuesday. "Our guys' ability to understand what we're asking them to do on both sides fo the ball: Can we take care of it? Can we crash the glass? Can we get out in the open court and run after we've gotten our stops? Can we be efficient in converting on the other end? We continue to grow in that area, but there is still a lot of room to grow from there."
Mosley has emphasized the team trusting its process throughout the season, even when they were struggling earlier this season. That is a mantra he has continued to preach even now that the team has found its way out.
The defense must generate the offense. That is what Mosley repeated after that blowout win in Philadelphia.
Turning the corner
There may not have been doubt early in the season, but the team certainly was not seeing the results. It did not feel like Orlando Magic basketball early in the season.
Orlando gave up more than 130 points per 100 possessions in back-to-back games against Philadelphia and Detroit when the team was at its darkest. The defense did not really find much consistency until the game at New York against the New York Knicks.
That was a turning point game for many reasons. But since then, the Magic have given up a defensive rating of 115 points per 100 possessions or more just twice -- the rematch with the New York Knicks and the loss to the Boston Celtics.
It took some time, but the Magic have found that defensive groove again.
"I think part of it is just buying into it and trusting it and not giving up on it after the first couple of weeks of the season and then seeing that it pays off," Tristan da Silva said after shootaround Tuesday. "Kind of having everybody pulling on the same string. I think a lot of that is communication and being on the same page and making sure we know what we're doing out there."
Most of the Magic's problems early in the season were certainly one of cohesion. The Magic were integrating a new player in Desmond Bane and trying to play a faster style.
That hurt the offense as much as it hurt the defense. The Magic could not get their defense settled down. It took time for them to settle down.
There are still some issues to sort out. But the Magic are starting to resemble the team everyone expected far more often now.
"It took us a minute to fall into what we're going to rely on the defensive end and what we're willing to give up," Carter said after shootaround Tuesday. "We figured it out. It was only a matter of time. From the outside looking in, it felt like the sky was falling in. Being in this building every day and being around each other every day, we understood it was only a matter of time before things started clicking."
The team has found its groove and the defense is helping lead the Magic up the standings.