ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic opened their preseason schedule with a sharp offensive performance Wednesday night, knocking down 20 of 45 three-point attempts — 44.4 percent — against the Memphis Grizzlies, fueled by 12 combined assists from forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in one half of action under first-year head coach Sean Sweeney.
The two 6-foot-10 forwards set the tone early, repeatedly attacking the paint, collapsing Memphis’s defense, and finding open shooters on the perimeter. The first basket of the game illustrated the approach: Wagner turned the corner off a Banchero and Desmond Bane double ball screen and whipped a pass to a wide-open Wendell Carter Jr., who drilled the first of his three three-pointers on the night. Nikola Vucevic also made three triples, all off spray-out passes from the paint.
Bench forward Tristan da Silva, entering his third NBA season, continued to show the catch-and-launch movement shooting that produced a 37 percent mark on catch-and-shoot threes off relocation or while on the move last season. Alex Morales added energy off the bench, pulling down five offensive rebounds, including a putback layup with 13.9 seconds remaining that extended Orlando’s lead to four points.
The Magic’s pace in the half court was a consistent theme throughout the night. Orlando’s rapid ball movement forced Memphis defenders to scramble and lose track of perimeter shooters, generating the open looks that produced the team’s high three-point percentage. Carter’s and Vucevic’s shooting from the stretch-five positions gave the offense an additional dimension that defenses had to account for.
Orlando’s next preseason game will give Sweeney another opportunity to evaluate his rotation before the regular season begins.