ATLANTA — When Jamal Cain found out Jett Howard wasn’t going to be able to play Saturday night at Miami, the Magic two-way forward knew he had to shift his mindset from sitting on the bench to being a part of Orlando‘s rotation for a key Southeast Division matchup.

As a two-way player who’s limited to just 50 NBA games, Cain doesn’t see the floor on a regular basis. In fact, before Saturday, Cain last played double-digit minutes Jan. 2 at Chicago.

But when he was given the chance to play significant minutes for the first time in more than two months, Cain didn’t waste it to show off his skills.

His first points came as he slammed down a lob from teammate Noah Penda. Less than a minute later, Cain finished around the basket again, this time with a reverse layup. And in the second quarter, he hit a pair of 3-pointers.

By the end of the night, Cain notched 12 points in 18 1/2 minutes with seven rebounds and one block.

“He was just ready from the second he checked in, you could tell,” Magic forward Paolo Banchero said about Cain. “One thing about Jamal is that he doesn’t lack confidence. Whether (or not) he doesn’t play 10 straight games, you know he’s ready to go every single game. He’s always working.

“So, he’s a talented player and you could tell he was ready for this one,” Banchero added. “He just came out super confident on both sides of the ball. Just to have a wing like that, being able to check in and affect the game both sides of the ball, it’s huge.”

Cain was ready to go not only because that’s common for life as a two-way player in the league, but also because he was facing his former franchise.

Undrafted out of Oakland, Cain spent the first two years of his career on a two-way contract with the Heat. In addition to his NBA experience, he also played in 40 career G League games with Miami’s affiliate, Sioux Falls.

“One-hundred percent, but not like in a bad way,” he said when asked if the matchup meant anything more to him. “Just naturally you want to compete against your brothers. I consider all of those guys my brothers. … This definitely had some extra motivation, for sure, playing the Heat.”

As Cain was making plays against his former team on both ends of the court, his Orlando teammates were inspired by what they saw from him.

“That’s a beautiful thing to see, knowing behind the scenes the work that he puts in, individually, for him to go out there and be able to showcase all he can do,” Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. said. “It’s a good feeling as a brother, more than just a teammate.”

Although Howard was feeling better and went through shootaround in Atlanta ahead of Monday’s game against the Hawks, the Magic could need Cain again as they head home still shorthanded. Anthony Black (left lateral abdominal strain), Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury management) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) were all ruled out of Monday’s contest.

Orlando returns to Kia Center for a challenging back-to-back against the defending champions Thunder, who’ve won their last eight as the top team in the West.

Cain will be ready again if called upon.

“I know coming in (the league), I was an underdog so I feel like I always have a chip on my shoulder and something to prove to everybody,” he said. “But ultimately (I’m going to) just keep doing what I’m doing, keep God first, keep working and live with the outcome.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic vs. Thunder

When: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Kia Center

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida