In the first game of the NBA preseason, the Orlando Magic defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 122-118 on Wednesday night at FedEx Forum. The Magic led for 95% of the contest and held an 18 point lead with their starters in the first quarter.
“We talked a lot about trying to sprint into organization going into this game and I thought we did a really nice job of that, especially in the first half,” Orlando Magic coach Sean Sweeney said.
Tristan da Silva had a game-high 19 points off the bench, including four three pointers. Veteran guard Ty Jerome led the Grizzlies with 17 points while third-overall pick Cameron Boozer had 16 points in his debut.
“[da Silva] shot the hell out of the ball,” Sweeney said. “I thought he did a good job. We want him to have that shooting conceit. We want him to have a short memory if he misses and a long memory if he makes it.”
While it is only a preseason game, there are many takeaways from Orlando’s first performance under coach Sweeney.
Magical Ball Movement
On the first possession, Franz Wagner commanded the offense as a point-forward, finding Wendell Carter Jr. open for a made three. The trend continued in the first half, as Wagner led the game with seven assists.
“That’s just what [Wagner] does,” da Silva said. “I think the way that he plays and the skillset that he has allows him to be a threat at all times and to attack the paint at all times… Franz is somebody that’s really patient in that paint and makes the right decisions in there. So, it really makes everybody else’s life way easier.”
Orlando combined for 35 assists in the contest, a mark the team only reached three times last season. Despite Paolo Banchero and Wagner both shooting 2-for-7 from the field, the Magic starters were all still able to finish with a positive plus/minus.
“A lot of unselfishness,” Sweeney said. “Twelve assists between Franz [Wagner] and Paolo [Banchero] in the first half; excellent job by those two guys of really drawing two and then making the right play.”
Supernatural Shooting
The Magic’s rotation also shot well from deep, combining to shoot 19-for-37 from beyond the arc. Carter Jr., da Silva, Desmond Bane, and Nikola Vučević all had three or more triples in the game, while only one Grizzlies player (GG Jackson) made three.
“I think if we do a good job with our passing on time and on target, if we do a good job with our shot prep, we take the right shots, we feel pretty good about the shots we are going to take,” Sweeney said.
Overall, when the core Magic rotation was on the court, the offense looked much improved. If Orlando can keep the pace and performance up offensively, the team could contend in the Eastern Conference.
Bane’s Strong Homecoming
In his first game in Memphis since being traded to Orlando, Bane finished with nine points on perfect shooting. Neither of the two players the Magic traded to the Grizzlies are still on the roster, as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left for the 76ers and Cole Anthony plays for Melbourne United in the NBL.
Next up
The Magic travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers in their first of two matchups this preseason on Sunday. After the contest, Orlando’s final two preseason matchups come at the Kia Center against the Cavaliers (Oct. 13) and the Miami Heat (Oct. 16).
“I think we can do a really good job of studying this tape,” Sweeney said. “Seeing where we did a good job of being in the right spots, see where we did a good job of executing on our schemes, then see where we needed to get better. I think there’s a lot of opportunities to improve.”
Tip-off against the Cavaliers is set for 6:30 p.m. on October 11.