The Orlando Magic will return home from a four-game West Coast road trip after a 110-109 win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. In the Magic's victories, success has come from not only their stars, but their role players as well. 

Ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Lakers, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley talked about the importance of two of those role players: Wendell Carter Jr. and Jonathan Isaac. 

“It's always been the little things with him,” Mosley said about Carter. “He does the things that don't get noticed all the time, and then when he comes up with the big rebounds and he gets some points on the board, I think those are big keys for us. 

“Last game, it was him realizing that he had mismatches on him at times. So, he drove the ball, created an advantage for us. Now, we were able to find open guys when they had to double team or overload towards him. But again, the things that Wendell does, they don't always show up on the stat sheet, and that's who he is.” 

Carter was electric on Tuesday, putting up 20 points and 12 rebounds including the game winning put back layup with seven seconds remaining. His performance marked his eighth double double of the year after he had 15 points and 14 rebounds in a win against the Clippers on Sunday.

Isaac has not seen as much time on the floor this season, and his numbers have not looked pretty, but his intangibles on the floor are evident enough that when he does produce, he becomes even more valuable. 

“He's huge for our team,” Mosley said about Isaac. “He is a defensive difference maker and a game changer. Knowing he's back there protecting the rim, when he's able to keep guys in front of him one on one, not allowing guys to get by him, he changes the game for us as soon as he steps on the court defensively. And our guys know that, and that's what they trust him to do every time he gets out there.” 

Isaac had two key blocks in the wins over the Lakers and the Clippers. With both being tightly contested victories, those defensive possessions mattered a lot in the end. 

Mosley will continue to need players like Carter and Isaac to continue to live up to their roles, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the availability of core players such as Jalen Suggs. Suggs has missed extended periods of time this season and, apart from the Magic’s win over the Sacramento Kings, has missed the rest of the road trip due to back spasms. 

“Yeah, and it's gonna be, for him, just being able to keep him in the right frame of mind, which he has been throughout the year,” Mosley said. “There's moments where he's been frustrated in being on the court; off the court. But he's done a great job of continuing his communication and film sessions on the court with guys, just talking and leading. Those are big keys for us. 

“And then, as we know, when he comes back, just continue to be smart about how we play him, knowing he's going to give it his all, but then we've got to make sure we take care of it when he's on the court.” 

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