Orlando Magic May Have Just Saved Their Season

The Orlando Magic were trailing by a point as Wendell Carter Jr. grabbed a defensive rebound following a missed shot from Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Cooper Flagg.

With 8.7 seconds to go, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley could have called a timeout, but he trusted his team to make the right play and find a way to win. Jalen Suggs took the ball up court, found Carter Jr. on a drag towards the basket as he slammed it home. Carter's dunk gave the Magic the lead that eventually led to victory.

“It started with the stop. You know, we did a really good job of baiting them into a tough two. [We] got a good box out and I knew (Daniel) Gafford was behind me on the way down the court, so I thought it would’ve been a good idea to go into a quick drag to put them in no man’s land, and then like J (Jalen Suggs) said, he just found me on the roll and then I just finished the play," Carter Jr. said postgame.

WENDELL CARTER JR. COMES UP CLUTCH FOR THE ORLANDO MAGIC 🥶 pic.twitter.com/5jQHtOE2HB
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 6, 2026

Magic Win on Epic Final Play

The Magic were trailing by four points with just under 40 seconds to go. Yet, they came out on top. It isn't easy coming up with a win after that, but the Magic showed their resilience in the win.

Suggs shared his perspective on the play following the game.

“Just trying to get it – start to get it up the floor. See if we call time out or not. He let us rock. Dell (Wendell Carter Jr.) did a good job flowing into the drag instead of just stalling out and then the ISO play," Suggs said postgame.

"Got a good hit which led to the big stepping up and he was wide open. So yeah, I thought about shooting it. Good roll and good finish by Dell. I think he made the play on that one to be honest. All I had to do was facilitate it."

It took more than just the final play to seal the comeback for the Magic. It was every play throughout the 48 minutes that led to victory, which Mosley emphasized in his postgame press conference.

“Well, I mean it was the play before that essentially, you know got Des (Desmond Bane) and Jalen connects the three that got us back into it, and our ability to sit down and get the stop," Mosley said.

"And then being able to push the break when the team is not balanced in order to get the stop, but Jalen made a heck of a play after the stop to get out in transition and find Dell (Wendell Carter Jr.). You know, I think it was big time for him to go up and finish with authority and then come back down and then get the stop at the end of the game.”

A play like this can reverse an entire season, especially with how things are loaded in the Eastern Conference standings at the moment. One game can make a difference between getting a guaranteed playoff spot or heading to the Play-In Tournament, so the Magic may have saved their season with this play.