Magic Surge to 2-0 with Commanding Home Opener Win Over Brooklyn Nets 

Orlando, FL— After a thrilling and emotional season-opening victory in Miami on Wednesday night, the team returned to Orlando for their home opener in their first Nets vs Magic matchup of the season and took down the Brooklyn Nets 116-101.

Pre-Game Challenges: Injuries on Both Sides 

Brooklyn was down a handful of players due to injury entering tonight’s contest in Trendon Watford (hamstring), Bojan Bogdanovic (foot), and Day’Ron Sharpe (hamstring). Orlando would also enter tonight’s matchup without one of their best and most impactful defenders in Jonathan Issac (left hip contusion), but this team still found a way to get the job done.

Foul Troubles from the Start 

From tip-off to the end of the game, it was evident the officials were a little too trigger-happy with their whistle. It was a point of emphasis coming into this Magic vs Nets matchup for Jamahl Mosley and his group to hopefully not foul as much, but 50 combined fouls in the game said differently.

“Hopefully we don’t foul three times in the first quarter and get in foul trouble early because of that energy,” Jamahl Mosley on the team’s excitement for the home opener. “This is a group that thrives off of energy, we thrive off of each other, we thrive off of the way in which this crowd gets us going—There’s a spark in this city, there’s a spark in this arena when we play so I want these guys to embrace that.”

Orlando’s home crowd did just that this evening, creating an electric atmosphere and showing out in a big way for this Magic squad.

The Nets Come Out Fighting Despite Missing Key Players 

Despite the Nets missing a lot of key players and not being nearly as talented as this Magic squad, they came out swinging and wouldn’t go down without a fight. Brooklyn played extremely aggressively, getting downhill, trapping Paolo every time he got inside, and making life hard on the Magic as a whole.

First Quarter: Wagner Sets the Tone 

Despite a strong performance from Dennis Schroder and nine early first-quarter points, Franz Wagner got the ball rolling early for Orlando as he came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, matching Dennis with nine first-quarter points and knocking down a triple in the corner. Brooklyn would close out that first quarter on a 12-0 run, and they led the Magic 23-22 after one quarter of play.

Magic Respond with Resilience in the Second Quarter 

Orlando would respond with a 20-7 run midway through the second quarter as they went into the halftime locker room up 49-46. As both teams approached the second half of play, the game continued to be very physical and chippy.

“Cole [Anthony] gets taken out of the air twice. Twice,” Jamahl Mosley on the physicality of tonight’s game. “I love physicality, I’m all for it. But I’m also for the safety of the players. So at the end of the day, our guys did a good job of keeping their resolve and not getting too overblown with it…but this was a great lesson for us to take away from this game.”

Breaking Through in the Third Quarter 

Enough cannot be said about the job this team did collectively as a whole to pull out this win. After Brooklyn continued to hang around all evening, the Magic were able to flip the switch midway through the third quarter and essentially put this game away. After Franz Wagner connected on a much-needed three-ball to put the Magic up 68-65, Orlando would continue to pull away in this Magic vs Nets contest.

Second Unit Sparks: Moe Wagner and Anthony Black Step Up 

Both Moe Wagner and Anthony Black came off the bench and provided a huge spark to this second unit as they continue to show their depth on a night-in night-out basis. Moe Wagner finished the night in 15 minutes of play with 18 points, three rebounds, and one steal. Black logged 26 minutes off the bench and finished the night with 10 points, five assists, and was a +13 when on the court.

“Anthony Black has been great,” Jamahl Mosley on Anthony Black. “He was in the gym all summer, constantly working with all of our coaches—When he steps in between those lines he’s an ultimate competitor. His ability to defend the right way, his length, his IQ, and then offensively his ability to push the break consistently.”

Anthony Black continues to receive high praise from the coaching staff, his teammates, and the support of the Orlando Magic fanbase. Through two games, Black has looked poised, comfortable, and very confident on the floor, and it’s leading to him slowly but surely becoming this team’s sixth man.

Franz Wagner’s Early-Season Statement 

After all the chatter this offseason about Franz Wagner and his lackluster three-point shooting last season, Franz has responded in a big way through the first two games of the season. Franz would lead all scorers tonight with 29 points while shooting 10 of 19 from the floor and knocking down an efficient 3 of 6 shots from behind the arc. After the victories over Miami and now Brooklyn, Franz is shooting a combined 6 of 12 (50%) from deep and now has back-to-back 20+ point scoring games.

“I think it’s great, it’s the depth of this team,” Jamahl Mosley on Franz Wagner getting the ball rolling in the first quarter. “And this is why those two [Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero] play off each other extremely well. And I think that’s what makes this team great is our depth, our willingness to sacrifice and give to others. I think that’s what this group does and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

Building Momentum Going into Memphis 

Orlando has won their first two games of the season and will look to continue to keep the ball rolling with a quick turnaround as they will head to Memphis and take on the Grizzlies on Saturday evening.