The Orlando Magic lost their first preseason game in Boston (98-97) at the hands of the Celtics who won on a late Romeo Langford three-pointer but the starters and rotational players passed their first test. Head Coach Jamahl Mosley kept his players on a 20 minute pitch-count, so the final 4 minutes belonged to training camp hopefuls (who blew a sizable lead.) You can't put too much stake into the preseason but the Magic held Boston to 35% shooting from the field and had 25 team assists on 36 made field goals.
Five players scored in double figures as Cole Anthony led the way with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and shot 4/7 from three point land. Mo Bamba had a double double, pitching in 13 points, 10 rebounds (and 4 blocks!) in 22 minutes of game action. As a team they shot 40% from three. Jalen Suggs didn't have his best game shooting (3/11) but he did have 2 blocks and one on Jayson Tatum. If they can continue to defend and shoot the three ball at an accurate clip, they might surprise some people this year with a strength in numbers approach.
Brandon Kravitz and myself discuss what expectations should be for Magic fans as we approach the '21-'22 season in the podcast clip below.
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