It was the last one of a five-game road trip, and the Orlando Magic sat at 2-2 during the trip. This win was important as they prepared to make their way back home to face Atlanta, and Orlando knew it. Going in, you could tell that each member of the Magic wanted to win. But maybe even more importantly, throughout the entire game, you could tell something else. This is truly a team that is one unified unit. And if they can continue to play that way, they may just overcome the troubles they faced early in the season.

Each Orlando player put in a great effort on Sunday when they faced the Phoenix Suns, and all that effort paid off. Rookie Andrew Nicholson was one of the biggest heroes of the night, scoring a career-high of 19 points in the fourth quarter alone; two of which came when he suck a 14-footer after just coming off the bench. That put the Magic close to their winning number, putting them up in the game 97-88. Nicholson also took 9 rebounds during the game and made 9 out of 11 of his shots.

But it wasn’t as though the Magic took the entire game to find their stride.  J.J. Redick scored 14 points the first time he stepped out onto the court; and he scored three during the second half.

The Suns put in a good showing, especially considering that they were dealing with a fair share of injuries. P.J Tucker was out for his second game in a row due to an injured right knee, forcing the Suns to go with their fourth starting lineup of the season.

But while the Suns may have lost by only eight points, this one’s going to hurt more than that. Sunday’s game marks the team’s seventh straight loss, their longest losing streak since 2004.