Orlando, FL – After traveling to meet up with their in-state rival, the Magic and Heat were in a slugfest all game long but ultimately the Magic came up short and lost the game 99-96 and fell to 0-2 against Miami on the season.
No team closed a quarter out with a double-digit lead in this game. The teams fought back and forth for the entirety of the game and the teams ended the game with very similar stats. Both teams shot about 44% from the field and about 30% from three-point range, but the main differentiator was that Miami was more clinical from the free-throw line, shooting 85% as opposed to Orlando’s 60%. The Magic were at their best tonight defensively, recording 10 steals and eight blocks as a unit.
Chuma Okeke continues to play well while spending time in the starting lineup, with the former first-round pick getting himself a season-high 16 points on a stellar 60% shooting from the field. Joe Ingles returned to action tonight after suffering from his ankle injury and made a great impact off the bench, scoring 14 points, dishing out 6 assists, and three steals. The Magic started the game off slow and allowed Miami to get comfortable getting to their spots, namely sharpshooter Duncan Robinson and rookie Jaime Jacquez Jr., both were able to keep their impact on the game felt throughout the four quarters.
The battle of the stars between Bam Adebayo and Paolo Banchero was a sight to see tonight, with both big men constantly going at each other and trying to get the best of the other. Both players were dangerously close to a triple-double, with Bam just three rebounds shy and Paolo missing just a handful of boards and assists.
The bench duo of Markelle Fultz and Moritz Wagner outplayed their starting counterparts in Goga Bitadze and Jalen Suggs, earning them the minutes to play out most of the game. Mo Wagner did what he does best and brought the energy on both ends of the court, pouring in 19 points while also forcing Adebayo to shoot under 50% from the field for just the sixth time in the past month. Fultz looked more comfortable on the ball tonight and helped ease some ballhandling duties from Banchero while also being in a perfect position defensively to get himself a pair of well-timed steals, however, his offensive struggles showed after he took just two shots and Cole Anthony was put in to try to keep the spark offensively.
Despite the great game from the Magic and Banchero’s 10 straight points to end the fourth quarter, he ultimately missed three opportunities to put Orlando in front, some easier than others, and the Magic failed to make a comeback after the final two grueling minutes of the game where Coach Mosley tried to overturn a turnover but was unsuccessful in his challenge, allowing Bam to hit the dagger on his very next possession.
The Magic will make their way over to Oklahoma City to play the red-hot Thunder at home in hopes of asserting their place amongst the elite young teams in the league and keeping themselves in the playoff picture.
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