Game Recap

Josh Cohen

ORLANDO - In back-to-back games, the Orlando Magic were unable to come up with the defensive stops they needed to down the stretch.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sunday against the Celtics, Jayson Tatum knocked down a pair of clutch jumpers late in the fourth quarter to help Boston surge to the finish line. Monday against the Wizards, it was the combination of Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George and 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa who made big shots late to propel Washington to a 103-94 win over Orlando at Kia Center.

After the Magic pulled within three with just under seven minutes left, the Wizards responded with a 14-6 run to end Orlando’s comeback attempt. Davis and George each made a pair of jumpers in that stretch and Dybantsa scored on the fast break twice.&nbsp;

“I thought the guys did a really good job tonight competing,” Magic head coach Sean Sweeney said. “I thought they did a great job trying to stick to it throughout the course of the game — cut the lead in the fourth quarter down to three or four a couple times. Just couldn’t quite get over the hump. I thought those guys did a great job trying to battle through it on a back-to-back, tough schedule type situation against a team that’s big and strong and that has good players.”

Not helping matters was the Magic’s injury report. Paolo Banchero (ankle), Jalen Suggs (knee), Anthony Black (ankle injury management) and Noah Penda (hamstring) were all out. Those absences continue to significantly reduce the number of ball handlers and playmakers they have to work with.

Franz Wagner did all he could to keep the Magic in the game. He finished with 24 points and six assists. Desmond Bane scored 20 points and Jamal Cain and Tristan da Silva each had 10 points.&nbsp;

Davis led the Wizards with 27 points and nine rebounds, George scored 22 and Dybantsa had 21.&nbsp;

This was not a great shooting night for Orlando. It made just 11 of their 39 attempts from 3-point range (28.2 percent). They also only took 10 free throws.&nbsp;

“I think our offense starts with aggressiveness, touching the paint,” Bane said. “We believe once we touch the paint, whatever comes from that is usually going to be a good possession for us. I think as long as we are keeping that process, being aggressive getting two feet in the paint, making sound decisions, we can live with the result — whether it’s a shot at the rim or the 3-point line. We have guys that can shoot the ball well and we will continue to.”&nbsp;

Turnovers were an issue again as well. They had 18 of them, which led to 22 Washington points.

The Wizards did a lot of their damage from the mid-range. They ended up shooting 53.3 percent overall from the field.&nbsp;

The loss snapped the Magic’s seven-game winning streak against the Wizards at Kia Center.&nbsp;

Orlando will now head out West for a four-game trip, starting Thursday at Phoenix. Tip-off will be 9 p.m. ET. 

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Game Highlights: Magic vs. Wizards

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Undermanned Orlando Magic Fall Short Against Washington Wizards

ORLANDO - What makes the Boston Celtics such a good team, aside from Jayson Tatum’s incredible scoring ability, is they protect the ball at a high level, force opponents into a lot of turnovers, and prevent opponents from scoring much around the basket.

Those were among the biggest factors in the Orlando Magic’s 108-97 loss with the C’s in town on Sunday afternoon.&nbsp;

The Magic were only able to force Boston into 13 turnovers (12 if you subtract the C’s letting the shot clock expire near the end of the game); they turned it over themselves 18 times, which led to 21 Celtics points; and Orlando mustered up just 36 paint paints.&nbsp;

“When you see that crowd, being able to make that right play to your teammate is really important and credit them,” Magic head coach Sean Sweeney said. “They force turnovers. They are aggressive to go for steals. There are a number of times when you have to be really strong with the ball and then play through contact when you do get it. We can do a better job of that. Love the aggressiveness, but both halves I thought we could have been better with the basketball.”&nbsp;

Tatum’s play was also a big factor. The six-time NBA All-Star erupted for 32 points, and he hit two clutch shots late in the fourth quarter to help Boston pull away.

Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva each scored 23 points to lead the Magic, Desmond Bane recorded 19 points and Franz Wagner, although he shot just 5-of-20 from the field, filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds and a career-high 12 assists.&nbsp;

What kept Orlando in the game was its 3-point shooting – many generated off sharp ball movement and paint kickouts – and its defense on the perimeter (Celtics only shot 27 percent from downtown).&nbsp;

But Boston getting up three more floor shots (largely because of its offensive rebounding) and seven more free throws made it too difficult for Orlando to keep up.&nbsp;

Paul George chipped in with 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists for Boston, which improved to 5-1 on the season, while Derrick White and Luka Garza each had 12 points.

The Magic will look to bounce back on Monday when they host the Washington Wizards at 7:30 p.m.&nbsp;

“Got to win,” Black said. “Can’t lose two in a row, especially at home. We know we have to come out and play a better game. Clean up the turnovers. Clean up the rebounds. And then just continuing to play hard. We know we are going to have to dig in because it’s a back-to-back.” 

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Game Highlights: Magic vs. Celtics

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Orlando Magic Come Up Short Against Boston Celtics

The Orlando Magic knew after Wednesday’s loss against the Toronto Raptors that they needed to be more physical and take care of the ball better in Friday’s rematch.

Not only did they check those boxes, but they also shot it extremely well from 3-point range – all of which carried them to a 121-114 victory in NBA Cup group play.&nbsp;

The Magic cut their turnovers down from 20 in Wednesday’s contest to 13 in Friday’s game, and then they knocked down 25 of their 29 free throws (86 percent) and 18 of their 34 3-pointers (53 percent).&nbsp;

“Terrible performance the last game. They out-physicalled us and we were a way more intense team than the other night,” Franz Wagner said afterwards on the MagicTV broadcast. “Big-time response from us and onto the next one.”

Wagner racked up 26 points, five rebounds and a career-matching-high 11 assists, while Desmond Bane erupted for 28 points, Wendell Carter Jr. had 20 points and seven rebounds and Anthony Black finished with 17 points, six rebounds and a career-tying-high 10 assists.&nbsp;

Although Jase Richardson had only four points, the Magic outscored the Raptors by 26 when the 6-foot-1 point guard was on the floor.&nbsp;

Orlando also withstood a spectacular game from Scottie Barnes, who racked up a career-best 41 points on 19-of-34 floor shooting. Toronto’s next best scorer was Immanuel Quickley, who had 17 points.

Resilience was a factor for Orlando. After the Raptors took a two-point lead with 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Magic responded with a 21-12 run to end the game.

“We just doubled down on the things we’ve done all training camp, all through September,” Bane said. “Things we’ve talked about defensively. Offensively, we didn’t panic. Tristan (da Silva) made big shots. Franz obviously making plays. Everybody all the way up and down the roster. Very pleased and something we can build off of."

What made Friday’s game so unusual was that the Raptors took 17 more floor shots than the Magic. That was largely because Toronto only committed 11 turnovers and it pulled down 15 offensive rebounds. However, the reason that ultimately didn’t matter was because Orlando attempted and made 14 more free throws and knocked down six more 3-pointers.

The Magic are now 12-4 all time in NBA Cup action. Last year, they went 4-0 in group play and 5-1 overall, with their lone loss coming in the semifinals against the eventual Cup and NBA season champion New York Knicks.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A win at Toronto to start their NBA Cup slate is huge. Their other three group play games are at home against the Bucks and Pistons and at Brooklyn. 

Up next on Orlando’s regular season schedule is a meeting with the Boston Celtics at Kia Center on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“How we played tonight with our physicality and energy all night; that’s got to become a habit,” Wagner said on MagicTV.

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Raptors Postgame: Sean Sweeney

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Raptors Postgame: Franz Wagner

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Raptors Postgame: Desmond Bane

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Orlando Magic the More Physical Team in NBA Cup Victory Over Toronto Raptors

The statistical category everyone was talking about ahead of Wednesday’s game in Toronto was turnovers. The Raptors’ bread and butter is turning opponents over and then getting out on the break to score easy baskets in transition.

Early on, the Orlando Magic did a good job protecting the ball, which helped them jump out to a nine-point lead. But that didn’t last long. As Toronto’s defensive pressure increased, so did Orlando’s turnovers. They finished with 20 of them, which led to 20 Raptors points, as the Magic fell 129-99.

“The turnovers definitely were a big part of it,” Magic head coach Sean Sweeney said. “Their pressure got to us at times during the game. We will do a better job of handling that in the next one. But definitely impacted us. The multiple steals at the end of the first half was tough. But we will get it corrected.”&nbsp;

That wasn’t the only issue Orlando ran into, though. Unlike Sunday’s win in New York, the Magic struggled with their long-range shooting, connecting on just 10 of their 35 attempts from 3-point range (29 percent). The Raptors, conversely, made 15 of their 35 threes (43 percent).

Scottie Barnes, who had his worst offensive performance of his career on Sunday against the Timberwolves by going 0-for-12 from the field and not scoring a single point, bounced back with 28 points on 11-of-17 floor shooting. RJ Barrett racked up 25 points and Immanuel Quickley finished with 16 points.

Tristan da Silva led Orlando with 20 points on 8-of-10 overall shooting and 4-of-5 3-point shooting. On the season, he’s shooting 45.2 percent from downtown.&nbsp;

“Just the trust that the coaches have put in me (and) the trust I’m getting from my teammates (who are) looking for me and making sure I get the looks when I’m open,” he said. “It’s really a credit to them for finding me and allowing me to play this role.”&nbsp;

Franz Wagner had 15 points and five assists, but he also committed seven turnovers. Desmond Bane recorded 13 points and Jase Richardson, starting for the second straight game, tallied 10 points.

Both teams were short-handed. Paolo Banchero (ankle), Jalen Suggs (knee) and Noah Penda (hamstring) were out for Orlando, while Kawhi Leonard (knee) was out for Toronto.

The Magic have now lost four straight at Toronto. They will match up there again on Friday at 7:30 p.m. There will be a little more on the line in that meeting. It will be each team’s first NBA Cup game. In the in-season tournament last year, the Magic won their group and reached the semifinals. Orlando is 11-4 all time in the in-season tournament.&nbsp;

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Raptors Postgame: Tristan da Silva

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Orlando Magic Can’t Overcome Turnovers, Poor Outside Shooting in Loss to Toronto Raptors

Franz Wagner has a history of coming up big in big moments. Last season in the playoffs, he made a pair of clutch shots late in Game 3 of the Orlando Magic’s first round series against the Detroit Pistons. He did the same thing in Game 3 of the prior year’s postseason against the Boston Celtics. He also made a game winner in L.A. against the Lakers in 2024, as well as one in Chicago against the Bulls in 2023.

Just three games into this year, he’s already delivered when his team needed him most. The 6-foot-10 German forward scored 21 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and finished one assist shy of a triple-double with a career-high 13 rebounds and nine assists, as the Magic overcame a 10-point deficit in the final frame to win 111-102 over the New York Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

“I thought his aggressiveness was great,” Magic head coach Sean Sweeney said. “I thought he did a great job of really attacking and then making good decisions. Early it felt like he was trying to probe and find avenues to attack. In the fourth quarter, he saw space, took the space, and made the right play.”&nbsp;

Wagner wasn’t the only one to step up. Playing in his first game of the year after missing the first two as well as all of the preseason while recovering from an ankle sprain, Anthony Black came off the bench and had 18 points and five assists. The 6-foot-7 guard made five of his seven threes. Also hot from deep were both Desmond Bane and Tristan da Silva. Bane, who finished with 22 points, sank four of his nine 3-point attempts and da Silva, who had 19 points, connected on five of his nine tries.

“Solid, (but) definitely got some stuff I need to clean up on the defensive end,” Black said of his first performance of the season. “It’s been a while since I played five on five. Coach is doing a good job telling me when I am messing up and I am going to get that cleaned up for the next game."

The Magic, as a team, drilled 18 of their 42 threes (43 percent). As the old adage goes, the NBA is a make or miss league. In the first two games – against the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves – they generated a plethora of good looks through their execution, spacing and unselfishness as well. Unlike those games, however, in New York more of them dropped.&nbsp;

Although happy to have pulled out this win, thoughts afterwards were with Jalen Suggs, who appeared to injure his right knee without any contact while going up for a layup with just over two minutes left in the fourth. Already without Paolo Banchero, who suffered a low-grade right high ankle sprain in the game Friday against the Wolves, the Magic will need to rely on their depth if they continue to be undermanned.&nbsp;

The Knicks are now 0-3. The last defending NBA champion to start the following season with three straight losses were the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011-12 campaign.&nbsp;

Jalen Brunson led New York with 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby each had 22. New York, however, shot just 41 percent from the field and 24 percent from 3-point distance.

This was Sweeney’s first regular season win as an NBA head coach. The Magic hired him in June to be the 16th&nbsp;head coach in franchise history.

Orlando will now have two consecutive contests in Toronto. The first one against the Raptors will take place on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The second one, which is an NBA Cup game, will be Friday at 7:30 p.m.&nbsp;

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Franz Wagner's Tough AND-1

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Welcome Back, Anthony Black

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Knicks Postgame: Sean Sweeney

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Knicks Postgame: Franz Wagner

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Knicks Postgame: Anthony Black

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Orlando Magic Overcome 10-Point Fourth-Quarter Deficit to Take Down Defending Champs

ORLANDO - Holding Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball to a combined 9-for-36 field goal shooting, normally, would be enough to come out on top when playing the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But on this night, because of how poorly the Orlando Magic shot it from beyond the arc, it wasn't.

Despite making things awfully tough on Minnesota’s dynamic backcourt duo, the Magic’s main Achilles’ heel from the last few seasons prevented them from hanging with the Wolves in a 115-93 defeat at Kia Center.&nbsp;

The Magic made just eight of their 39 3-point attempts (20.5 percent). That was the team’s fourth worst 3-point percentage all time when attempting at least 39 threes.&nbsp;

Desmond Bane and Tristan da Silva, widely considered their best perimeter shooters, combined to make just two of their 11 attempts. Franz Wagner went 1-of-6, Paolo Banchero went 0-of-2 and Jalen Suggs went 1-of-4.&nbsp;

“Get to our spots quicker, so that we can continue to drive, create lanes for each other, continue to make the right kickouts and when we get the shots, like we did tonight, shoot them with confidence and (have) trust in the fact they are going to go in,” Suggs said. “That’s the game. Tonight, we shot 20 (percent). The whole preseason, all through (training) camp and even the first game, we shot it really well. It's just the game of basketball."

Banchero only played 26 minutes because of a sore right ankle. He finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Wendell Carter Jr., who was the one Magic player who shot it well from deep (3-of-4), led Orlando in scoring with 20 points. Franz Wagner recorded 18 points, six rebounds and five assists and Suggs had 14 points, six boards and six dimes.

Minnesota, which never trailed, knocked down 14 of its 37 threes (38 percent) and pulled down 22 offensive rebounds, which led to 17 second chance points.

Its bench outscored Orlando’s reserves 48-22. Ayo Dosunmo and Terrence Shannon Jr. combined for 27 of those Minnesota bench points.

Edwards, who shot just 5-of-23 from the field, finished with 15 points and Ball, who shot 4-of-13, scored 12 points.

The Magic will look to rebound from their 0-2 start when they visit the defending-champion New York Knicks on Sunday at 7 p.m.&nbsp;

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Wolves Postgame: Sean Sweeney

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Wolves Postgame: Jalen Suggs

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Orlando Magic Go Cold From 3-Point Range in Loss to Minnesota Timberwolves

ORLANDO - A player that gave the Orlando Magic fits last year was Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The league’s eventual Most Improved Player award winner scored a career-high 41 points at home against the Magic on March 16 and 32 points on April 1 in Orlando.

With the Hawks in town for the regular season opener, once again it was the 6-foot-5 guard who came through when his team needed him most.

He buried two consecutive 3-pointers down the stretch, including one with 51 seconds left that put Atlanta up five, as the Magic fell 132-125 on Wednesday night at Kia Center.

Alexander-Walker finished with 31 points, while Jalen Johnson, a first-time All-Star last year, and Dyson Daniels, the league’s MIP in 2024-25, each scored 20.&nbsp;

Paolo Banchero was virtually unstoppable for the Magic. He racked up 35 points on 10-of-12 floor shooting and 12-of-16 free throw shooting, while also posting seven rebounds and 10 assists.&nbsp;

“I loved his aggressiveness,” Magic head coach Sean Sweeney said of him. “I thought he did a great job of really trying to put pressure on the defense. I think he can be even better. But he did a great job in a lot of areas. I thought he did a good job of drawing the defense, attacking, finishing. Obviously shot it very well, got to the free throw line a lot. He did a great job there and will keep getting better.”

Franz Wagner, who was limited in the first half because of foul trouble, tallied 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Wendell Carter Jr. came on strong late to post 22 points and Desmond Bane had 18 points.

Generating offense was certainly not the issue for the Magic. They shot 48 percent from the field and went 30-of-39 from the free throw line.

However, committing 20 turnovers, which led to 24 Hawks points, was costly, as was making just one of their 12 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter. They were 12-of-28 going into the final frame.

“Defensively, from them, they were physical, picking up full (court) from the guards,” Carter Jr. said. “I think for us bigs or really anyone else, it will be a pressure release for them setting screens in the backcourt and getting into our sets a little quicker.”

Orlando, meanwhile, struggled to guard the paint. Atlanta had 60 paint points, 10 more than the Magic. The Hawks also went 14-of-36 from 3-point range (39 percent) and 30-of-36 from the stripe (83 percent).&nbsp;

The Magic had previously won three straight regular season openers, last losing in their first game of the 2022-23 season. That defeat came on the road (at Detroit). The last time they had lost a regular season opener at home was in 2016 (against Miami).&nbsp;

Orlando will look to bounce back on Friday when it hosts Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and the rest of the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7 p.m.

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Game Highlights: Magic vs. Hawks

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Orlando Magic Come Up Short Against Atlanta Hawks in 2026-27 Regular Season Opener

ORLANDO - Probably the most impressive single stat of the preseason for the Orlando Magic was that they averaged 32 assists, which at the conclusion of Friday’s 136-115 victory over the Miami Heat were the second most in the league. 

Throughout their four-game exhibition slate, the Magic trusted the pass and generated plenty of quality shots through their ball movement, spacing, execution, and unselfishness.

How this will translate in the regular season remains to be seen, but this is a good sign for a team looking to be more efficient with their shooting, especially from beyond the arc.

Against the Heat, who, it must be mentioned, were playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, the Magic recorded 31 assists and hit 17 of their 43 3-pointers (40 percent). Desmond Bane, who shot a team-best 39.1 percent from downtown last season, knocked down seven of his 12 attempts from long range and finished with 23 points in his 24 minutes of action.

“I like where our group is at,” he said. “I think we have an identity — both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. We have a chance to be a really good team.”&nbsp;

Paolo Banchero led Orlando in scoring with 24 points. Most of his damage was done at the free throw line, where he connected on 13 of his 16 tries. Last season, Banchero drew the most shooting fouls in the league with 300 of them and he shot a career-best 77.5 percent from the stripe.&nbsp;

Franz Wagner had 11 points, six rebounds and six assists before exiting early in the third quarter with right shoulder soreness. Earlier in the game, Noah Penda injured his right hamstring while on a fast break after coming up with a steal and Jase Richardson was only able to play seven minutes because of a sore low back.&nbsp;

Anthony Black remained out as he continues to ramp up after spraining his right ankle a couple weeks ago. Jonathan Isaac (personal reasons) also didn’t play.&nbsp;

Playing in his first game at Kia Center since re-signing with the Magic, Nikola Vucevic recorded 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.&nbsp;

“It felt great,” he said. “I feel like I never really left. I was comfortable out there. Coming to the arena, going through warmups, did it so many times when I was here for those nine years, so I felt pretty comfortable. I also feel pretty good with these guys. Being with them the last month or two, I got a pretty good feel of everybody around me as well. It’s been great to be back. Very happy about that and I’m looking forward to being back out there in the regular season."

Rookie Ryan Conwell led Miami with 21 points, while Andrew Wiggins scored 13 and Bobby Portis Jr. and Nikola Jovic each had 12 in their limited minutes.

With the preseason now complete, the Magic will have several days of practice to get ready for their regular season opener on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks at Kia Center. Like Orlando, Atlanta is expected to be one of the top defensive teams in the league. They are led by Jalen Johnson, an All-Star last season, CJ McCollum and the league’s last two Most Improved Player award winners in Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.&nbsp;

“I think we’ve done a good job all throughout camp and nothing has changed now,” Magic head coach Sean Sweeney said. “We have to keep building good habits, keep laying our foundation, and then add layers to it."

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Game Highlights: Magic 136, Heat 115

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Heat Postgame: Sean Sweeney

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Heat Postgame: Nikola Vucevic

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Desmond Bane's Walk-Off Interview After Win Over Miami

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Orlando Magic Close Out Preseason With Victory Over Miami Heat

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