Orlando, FL – In Orlando’s closest game of the year, this young team finally pulled through in the clutch. What was certain to be an uphill battle turned out to be a back-and-forth for the ages, one that tacked another win onto Orlando’s impressive 5-0 record against Golden State at home since 2017. The Magic successfully pulled back from a 16 point lead early in the second half thanks to incredible bench play, a Paolo Banchero superstar run, and Jalen Suggs coming through in the biggest way during crunch time. Let’s see what played into this massive victory for the home team.
Heading into tonight, Terrence Ross was a late scratch at just around 5:00 pm per Coach Mosley in his pregame availability. With Suggs returning from injury, many were curious to see what Jalen was capable of in his first regular season start since the season opener at Detroit. Needless to say, he delivered. 4 steals (two of them coming in the final two minutes against Stephen Curry) and two timely 3-pointers rallied this team together when they needed it.
The big story tonight may be focused on Suggs, however credit needs to be given where credit was due— an enormous part of this game heavily relied on the Magic bench. Post-game, I asked Coach Mosley how crucial were the hustle plays and the perimeter shooting that our second unit provided for us tonight.
“We’re not in that first quarter if Chuma Okeke doesn’t come in and knock down some big shots. We don’t sustain that defensive effort if Kevon Harris doesn’t come in there and do a great job defensively and grab a couple offensive rebounds. We’re not in the game if RJ Hampton doesn’t come off the bench and play his minutes strongly.” – Jamahl Mosley
The praise and selflessness that flows within this team is simply contagious. They simply cannot get enough of each other, and there’s truly nothing better to see in a rebuilding team than that. Paolo Banchero, during his dual availability with Jalen Suggs, credited plenty of the victory to Suggs throughout the questionnaire. What really intrigued me was the continued praise and recognition of the bench unit from Paolo, even when the players weren’t mentioned.
Throughout the first half, Banchero wasn’t really looking for his shot. The aggression seemed slightly lackluster, and when shots were available, they simply weren’t falling. Fast forward to the 8-minute mark of the 3rd quarter, and Banchero begins a monster 12-point solo run that gives Orlando a massive lift from being down 16. I asked Paolo what really switched that gear for him in the second half—was it Golden State’s defensive scheme? Or more of a “you” issue?
“They played me the same way in the first half. It was more me. I felt like I was just ‘playing’ out there in the first half, playing half-aggressive, not taking the ball up as strong as I should’ve been.”
“My teammates were telling me, ‘leave that in the first half.’ I just wanted to give us a lift… guys off the bench, they really helped. I mean, Chum really helped a lot, Kevon, RJ, they came in and kept the energy high. Helped me get going and helped the rest of us get going.” – Paolo Banchero
This win simply cannot be overstated. To do this against a healthy defending champions, in front of the home crowd, and all while having 6 players on the injury report—one cannot imagine the wonders this has done for the confidence of these talented young players.
Orlando plays an early evening game against Sacramento this Saturday at 5:00 pm, marking the 2nd game of a 7-game home stretch.
