Losers of nine straight, the bottom was falling out on the Orlando Magic.
Then, things turned, and quickly, against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
The Magic, who looked like a shell of the team that started the season 6-2 over the last three weeks, came out with a sense of urgency and energy that they simply had not had. Elfrid Payton started it out with pushing the pace, and forcing the issue against Russell Westbrook, forcing turnovers and blowing past the leagues reigning MVP.
Payton’s strong start — he finished the night with 19 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals — was just the beginning for the Magic bunch that, at times, looked like the team that took the league by storm in the opening two weeks.