Before the Magic traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico to open the preseason against the Heat, coach Jamahl Mosley described the preseason as an extension of training camp.
It showed throughout the early exhibition Saturday when Orlando committed 12 turnovers in the first half alone and 19 on the night but still found a way to win 126-118 at Coliseo de Puerto Rico over Miami.
“I really liked our energy and effort,” Mosley said after the win. “I think the guys played hard trying to do their best to play together. There’s things to clean up.”
With starters playing limited minutes and multiple key players missing for the Magic, the Heat pushed the ball early in transition and got to the free throw line often to lead by as many as 15 points in the first half.
Miami took full advantage of Orlando’s mistakes when it scored 21 points off 19 takeaways, but the Magic outscored the Heat 42-13 in second-chance points while holding a 57-40 advantage on the glass.
After Orlando travels to Philadelphia on Friday, the Magic will host the Heat next Sunday. The Southeast Division foes open the regular season Oct. 22 at Kia Center.
Starting 5
Mosley rolled out Tyus Jones, Desmond Bane, Tristan da Silva, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. against the Heat.
Although it was already known guard Jalen Suggs (left knee trochlea cartilage tear) and backup center Moe Wagner (left knee torn ACL) wouldn’t be available Saturday, Franz Wagner was also ruled out prior to the game.
Franz Wagner, however, wasn’t dealing with an injury, the Sentinel learned, and instead sat out for rest following an extended time spent with the German national team at EuroBasket.
The Magic got an early look at their two major offseason acquisitions in Bane and Jones (3 points).
Bane missed his first 3-pointer but found his way on offense in the second quarter to total 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 13 minutes of action. A 41% career 3-point shooter, he helped space the floor to open up driving lanes for Banchero while also attacking the rim himself.
“We talked about their leadership as being a big piece for why they’re here,” Mosley said about Bane and Jones. “The other side of it is just their basketball IQ. They’re wanting to make the right play and making it.”
Banchero looked explosive getting downhill, which led to multiple trips to the free throw line. He shot 3 of 3 at the charity stripe to reach 7 points with 3 rebounds and 3 blocks in 13 minutes.
Carter played the same amount of time as Jones, Bane and Banchero and was one of two Magic starters to reach double-digit scoring. The Magic center was active on both ends with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Neither team played majority of their starters in the second half. Da Silva (12 points) was the lone Magic starter to see action in the third quarter, playing two additional minutes.
Second unit
Anthony Black, rookie Jase Richardson, Jett Howard, Jonathan Isaac and Goga Bitadze made up the first five off the bench.
The group struggled on offense at times in the first half with Howard serving as the lone member of the bench to make a field goal in the first two quarters.
Bitadze (4) and Black (3) combined for 7 turnovers while the third-year guard missed his first four shots from the floor.
Howard hit his first 3 of the evening and slammed down a drive late in the first quarter. He totaled 10 points in almost 19 minutes with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Rookie watch
Richardson made his preseason debut halfway through the first quarter and initiated the offense at times for the second unit.
The Michigan State product showed off why Orlando drafted him with the No. 25 pick in June’s draft during Saturday’s third quarter. In that frame, Richardson sunk three 3-pointers and totaled 13 points after he was held scoreless in the first half.
Second-round pick Noah Penda joined Richardson on the court midway through the third frame. The French forward totaled 6 points and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes.
Free points
Both sides were sent to the free throw line plenty Saturday.
The Magic made 23 of 31 attempts from the charity stripe while the Heat shot 28-38 in the 8-point loss.
“We’ve got to do a better job defending without fouling,” Mosley said. “That’s part of the energy and effort they gave but we’ve got to be smarter about putting them on the free throw line.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com