MEMPHIS - The Orlando Magic opened their preseason with a 122-118 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, giving new head coach Sean Sweeney a win in his NBA head coaching debut while showcasing the ball movement and outside shooting the team has prioritized heading into the new season.
Orlando finished with 35 assists against 14 turnovers, including 12 combined assists from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the first half alone. The Magic shot 20-for-45 from 3-point range, a 44 percent clip that represents a significant improvement for a team that has struggled from beyond the arc in recent seasons.
“We talked a lot about trying to sprint into organization going into this game and I thought we did a really nice job of that, especially in the first half but throughout the game we did a good job of trying to get into our offense and play with great pace throughout a possession, great ball movement throughout the possession,” Sweeney said. “I think that showed with the 35 assists and 14 turnovers. Great ball movement there. A lot of unselfishness - 12 assists between Franz and Paolo in the first half, so excellent job by those two guys by drawing two and then making the right play.”
Tristan da Silva led Orlando in scoring with 19 points, knocking down four 3-pointers in his third NBA season. Wendell Carter Jr. added 13 points in 15 minutes, while Banchero posted 11 points and five assists in 15 minutes and Wagner contributed six points and seven assists in 14 minutes. Desmond Bane, returning to Memphis for the first time since his trade - the Magic’s two regular-season matchups against the Grizzlies last year were played in Berlin and London - scored nine points in 13 minutes. Bane spent his first five NBA seasons in Memphis, appearing in 313 regular season games and averaging 17.8 points while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range.
Nikola Vucevic, re-signed to help stretch the floor, went 3-for-3 from 3-point range in his first game back with the Magic. Da Silva credited the coaching staff for emphasizing his role as a floor spacer. “The way the coaching staff has really pointed to me to have me shoot those shots and made me realize how important it is that I do shoot those shots to be able to space the floor,” da Silva said. “I think that’s just a credit to how much the coaching staff pours into me.”
Orlando led by as many as 18 in the first half with its core rotation on the floor, then held off a Memphis rally late. Alex Morales sealed the win with a putback bucket that extended the Magic’s lead to four with 13.9 seconds remaining. Second-year guard Jase Richardson started alongside the core four. Jalen Suggs (illness), Anthony Black (right ankle sprain), Jonathan Isaac (personal reasons) and Noah Penda (right hamstring strain) all sat out.
For Memphis, Ty Jerome led all scorers with 17 points. Cam Boozer, the third overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft out of Duke, scored 16 points, and GG Jackson added 15.
The Magic’s next preseason game is Sunday in Cleveland at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.