The Orlando Magic locked in a 136-115 win over the Miami Heat on Friday, closing out their preseason with a solid 3-1 record. Paolo Banchero kept doing Paolo Banchero things, dropping 24 points for the second straight game. Desmond Bane went absolutely off too, adding 23 points himself and sinking seven 3-pointers. Those two combined for 47 of the starters’ 68 points, and they helped erase an early 12-point Heat lead. It was a good night on the scoreboard, but man, the injury bug bit hard.
Injury Report: A Full House
Seriously, it felt like the medical staff was busier than the scorers. Anthony Black, who missed the first three preseason games with an ankle injury, sat out the finale. He was on the court for shootaround, but the team kept him ramping up slowly. His status for the regular season opener? Up in the air. Then there was Noah Penda, who checked in late in the first quarter, got hurt holding the back of his right leg, and immediately headed to the locker room. Ruled out with right hamstring tightness after just two minutes, 21 seconds, this isn’t Penda’s first rodeo with this kind of injury, either. He had a similar issue limiting him earlier in training camp. Jase Richardson also got pulled, ruled out in the second half with a sore lower back. He didn’t score in his short time on the court. And to top it all off, Franz Wagner exited midway through the third quarter, favoring his right arm, and was ruled out with right shoulder soreness. Coach Sean Sweeney didn’t have immediate updates after the game, saying everyone would be reevaluated later. That’s a lot of question marks for opening night.
Banchero, Bane, and the Green Light from Deep
Even with the injury chaos, there were some serious bright spots on the court. Banchero was money, hitting 13 of 16 free throws and adding seven boards and four assists in under 27 minutes. Bane was just cooking, especially in the second quarter where he hit four of his seven triples. Franz Wagner, before he got hurt, put up a solid 11 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a steal. The bench also chipped in, with Jamal Cain leading the way with 14 points, Nikola Vučević adding 13, and Tristan da Silva scoring 12. And speaking of da Silva, that dude has the ultimate green light. Last season he was taking 3.8 threes a game, hitting 40%. This preseason, he’s been launching 10.7 per game, including five more against the Heat, making two. Coach Sweeney is practically begging him to shoot more, joking “What’s the most that he can take?” He wants da Silva to let it fly when the shot is there, and that’s exactly what the third-year forward is doing.
So, the Magic roll into the regular season with a winning preseason record, but also a cloud of uncertainty. They open up the real games Wednesday at the Kia Center against the Atlanta Hawks. It’s gonna be wild to see who’s actually on the court for that one given all these new injury concerns.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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