The Magic walked into Utah short-handed and walked out with a 123-108 win that said plenty about their depth, their grit and the way they finished the night. Orlando used only 10 available players Wednesday in the second game of a back-to-back, but still found enough firepower to put away the Jazz late and split its four-game West Coast trip at 2-2.
Franz Wagner led the charge with 38 points, Desmond Bane added 25 and Anthony Black chipped in 22 as the trio combined for 85 points. Orlando leaned on that production all night, then slammed the door in the fourth quarter by outscoring Utah 38-21 over the final 12 minutes and closing on a 25-10 run.
“Aside from the shotmaking and some of the great decision-making that we had … I thought we did a really good job of controlling the possession battle,” Sweeney said after the game. “I think going into the fourth quarter, it was even in terms of the number of shots and then we really sat down, did a great job of crashing (the glass), did a great job of defensive rebounding (and) forced a couple turnovers to win that possession battle.”
“Just in general, the fight, the spirit, (and) the togetherness were exceptional,” Sweeney added.
The Magic were missing Paolo Banchero (right high ankle sprain), Jalen Suggs (right knee bone bruise), Tristan da Silva (left calf strain), Jamal Cain (left shoulder contusion), Noah Penda (partially torn right hamstring), Jonathan Isaac (left knee injury management) and rookie Izaiyah Nelson (left ankle injury recovery).
The win gave Orlando its fourth victory of the season under Sweeney and its second straight overall, a first for the club this year. The Magic are now 4-7 and head home to face the Bucks in an NBA Cup game Friday night at Kia Center.
Utah, meanwhile, dropped its 10th straight to fall to 1-11. Five Jazz players finished in double figures, including No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson with 22 points.
Wagner set the tone early and never really let up. He scored 19 in the first half and finished with a career-tying 38, his third consecutive game with at least 30.
He did it by scoring from everywhere - 8-for-12 in the paint, 2-for-3 from midrange and 3-for-8 from beyond the arc - while also going 9-for-10 at the line. Less than 24 hours after making all 10 free throws at Sacramento, he was back at it again.
“They were really trying to be aggressive with him, trying to be physical, trying to keep him out of the paint, and I thought he was relentless in his attack,” Sweeney said about Wagner. “He did a great job of really trying to make the right play when it presented itself.”
Wagner also grabbed eight rebounds, though he had just one assist despite entering the night averaging 8.6. Utah had few answers for his downhill pressure.
Orlando didn’t fully seize control until the second half, but the response after a slow start mattered. The Jazz led 34-29 after one quarter, then the Magic flipped the game with a 37-25 second quarter.
Orlando shot 13-for-23 in that stretch, while Utah managed just 7-for-20 from the floor and 2-for-9 from 3-point range. At one point, the Jazz went more than six minutes without a field goal.
Wagner scored 13 of his 19 first-half points in that quarter alone.
Black kept the pressure on with a busy, all-around night. He finished with seven rebounds and eight assists in 39 minutes, nearly landing a triple-double. He also attacked the rim enough to earn nine free throws, making seven, and posted his third 20-point game of the season.
“He’s getting downhill, he’s distributing the ball (and) he’s taking on the challenge of guarding the other team’s best guard,” Bane said about Black. “He’s grown so much. … He’s just consistently is getting better.”
Utah also had a familiar face in Mo Bamba, who spent 2018-23 with the Magic. The former first-round pick appeared in his eighth game for the Jazz and finished with five points, one rebound and one assist in 18 minutes off the bench. He has also played for the Lakers, 76ers, Clippers, Pelicans and Raptors since leaving Orlando.
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The Jazzs availability chart is a problem in its own right, with key frontcourt absences altering how they can defend and finish possessions. Orlando will be watching that closely, because a game that already figures to hinge on effort and second chances now carries an added edge if the Magic can keep leaning into one of their clearer advantages and force Utah to play uphill for long stretches. [Read more 🡒]