Every move made in a match is based on energy. There is an energy bar on top of the characters and energy is consumed from this bar depending on the movement.
3 Points: 4 energy
2 Points: 1 energy
Dunk: 1 energy
Dash: 1 energy
By improving your characters, you can also improve their usable energy, energy refill amount, and energy refill speed.
Usable energy: Energy capacity of the character
Refill energy: Amount of energy that can be refilled while on the bench
Refill speed: Speed of energy refill while on the bench