The Magic found themselves in a physical preseason test Sunday night, and Cleveland had the edge from the start.
James Harden led the Cavaliers with 24 points, and five more Cleveland players finished in double figures as the Magic fell 119-105 at Rocket Arena on ESPN. Orlando hung around in stretches, even pulling even at 66 midway through the third quarter, but Cleveland answered with a 53-39 closing run.
Sean Sweeney’s team also had to do it shorthanded. Desmond Bane rested, Jalen Suggs was out with an illness, Anthony Black sat with a right ankle sprain, Jonathan Isaac was unavailable for personal reasons and Izaiyah Nelson missed the game while in left ankle rehab.
Sweeney pointed to Cleveland’s physicality and the foul line as the biggest issues.
“Just in general, defensively, they did a good job with their physicality trying to blow some things up,” Sweeney said of the Cavaliers. “So, that was something that was a little bit different for us in terms of being ready for that.”
“And then offensively, they got to the free throw line quite a bit,” Sweeney added. “So, defending without fouling was something we’ve got to clean up a little bit. And we will.”
Orlando’s shot-making from deep dipped from its preseason opener at Memphis, where it hit 20 threes. Against Cleveland, the Magic made 13.
With Suggs and Bane sidelined, Sweeney again went with Jase Richardson in the starting lineup and also turned to Tristan da Silva in place of Bane. Richardson joined Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. in the opening five.
Da Silva gave Orlando a real lift from long range, knocking down four 3-pointers and finishing with 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 24 minutes. He accounted for half of the team’s first-half threes, with the Magic going 6 for 20 from beyond the arc before intermission.
Richardson kept attacking in the second half and scored nine of his 12 points in the third quarter. He finished with three rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes.
“I thought he did a really nice job being aggressive, especially in that second half,” Sweeney said about Richardson. “(He) went on a nice run there and he was a catalyst in terms of his energy, his pace attacking, and then I thought his communication and his effort level defensively (were) really high.”
Banchero had a rough shooting start, missing his first eight attempts before finally connecting on a 3-pointer from the left wing late in the second quarter. Even so, he kept earning trips to the line and made seven of 10 free throws. He had 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block in 18 first-half minutes.
Wagner handled the early offense for Orlando and scored six of the team’s first nine points. He put up all 10 of his points in the opening quarter, hitting four of seven shots and burying an early corner 3. He also added five rebounds and three assists, though he committed four turnovers.
Wagner and Banchero were both held to first-half action for the second straight preseason game.
Noah Penda made his preseason debut after missing Wednesday’s opener with a right hamstring strain. The second-year forward scored on a 3-pointer in the second quarter and later threw down a running dunk in transition in the fourth. He ended with eight points, five rebounds and five assists in 22 minutes.
Cleveland also got a strong outing from Mario Hezonja, the former Magic lottery pick who was the No. 5 selection in the 2015 draft. After six seasons playing professionally in Europe, Hezonja is back in the NBA with the Cavaliers and contributed 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 17 minutes.
The teams will meet again Tuesday at the Kia Center, with Orlando hosting Cleveland at 7 p.m. on Peacock/NBCSN.
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Magic Preseason Is Already Putting Sean Sweeney On The Spot
The Magic got their preseason off to a winning start with a 122-118 victory over Memphis, and the opener offered an early look at how the rotation could take shape under Sean Sweeney. Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Desmond Bane all saw the floor, giving Orlando some of its expected core pieces in action as the team begins sorting out roles before the games count.
What stood out just as much was who was missing from the mix. Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black and Noah Penda did not play, which leaves the preseason spotlight on how Orlando handles its point guard picture and where a young player like Penda might fit once the lineup starts tightening up. For a team trying to sharpen its identity, those absences make the coming games feel less like tune-ups and more like auditions. [Read more 🡒]
Franz Wagner Is Giving The Magic A New Offensive Dilemma
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Sweeney pointed to Wagners preseason work as part of the reason the staff feels good about giving him more responsibility with the ball, which adds another layer to Orlandos half-court options. The wrinkle is less about whether Wagner can handle it and more about how often the Magic want that job shared, especially with Sweeney also mentioning the teams broader communication process during games and Jon Harris role in reviewing challenge decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Center Battle Could Force A Tough Rotation Decision
Training camp has given the Magic plenty to sort through in the frontcourt, where Wendell Carter Jr., Goga Bitadze and Nikola Vucevic are all pushing for clearer roles. The competition is exactly the kind of problem Orlando wants, with each big man bringing a different look and coach Sean Sweeney weighing how that mix could shape the rotation once the games count.
For Carter, the daily work against Bitadze and Vucevic has become part of the value of camp, with the matchup variety helping sharpen his game. Bitadze, meanwhile, has viewed Carter as a tough interior presence to deal with, and that kind of back-and-forth only adds to the sense that Orlandos coaching staff may have some real decisions ahead as it tries to balance versatility, fit and minutes in the paint. [Read more 🡒]