Ahead of Friday’s NBA Cup game, Jamahl Mosley said Brooklyn‘s 1-10 record wasn’t representative of the quality of opponent Orlando was facing inside Kia Center.
And, for most of the night, the Magic coach wasn’t wrong.
Orlando trailed the Nets by as many as 16 points in the second quarter but mounted a major comeback late to capture a 105-98 victory to improve to 2-0 in East Group B action.
Playing without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero (left groin strain), Orlando trailed by four points with less than two minutes left in the game before Franz Wagner (25 points) and Tristan da Silva (22) flipped the contest in their team’s favor with three straight 3-pointers.
The Nets (1-11) gave the Magic all sorts of problems when they scored 21 points off 19 Orlando turnovers, but Brooklyn was outscored 26-16 in the final frame.
After three straight wins, Orlando (7-6) hits the road Sunday for its lone trip of the season at Houston against All-NBA forward Kevin Durant.
Slow start
Da Silva started in place of Banchero alongside regulars Jalen Suggs, Wagner, Desmond Bane (19 points) and Wendell Carter Jr. against Brooklyn.
Although da Silva continued to have success in catch-and-shoot scenarios from distance, the Magic overall failed to take care of the ball in the opening frame. Brooklyn, which entered Friday forcing the fifth-fewest turnovers in the NBA (13.9), notched 15 points off 10 Orlando turnovers in the first half alone.
Suggs (14 points), who hit his first pair of triples before missing his next three, was responsible for 3 of the Magic turnovers in the first quarter. By half, da Silva and Bane added two apiece.
In addition, one of Suggs’ first three personal fouls in the first half was upgraded to a flagrant 1 foul upon review.
A lethargic opening from the Magic allowed Brooklyn to lead by as many as 16 points the second quarter before Orlando was able to cut the deficit to 4 entering the break.
Wagner’s way
Rocking a different mask than the one he wore at New York on Wednesday (dark plastic instead of clear), the Magic forward continued to have success penetrating the paint and getting to the free throw line.
Wagner’s success at the charity stripe (8 for 10) was a part of a larger effort from Orlando, which shot 18 for 21 overall. Wagner added 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Magic forward was inaccurate from beyond the arc when he began 1 for 6 but hit a pair of long-range buckets when they mattered most.
Second unit
With da Silva promoted to the starting lineup, Orlando’s bench lacked offensive firepower most of the night.
Backup center Goga Bitadze racked up 8 rebounds with 6 points in 16 minutes while Jett Howard (6 points) added a pair of triples.
Veteran guard Tyus Jones, who played 13 minutes, was held scoreless for the sixth consecutive contest. Brooklyn’s bench outscored Orlando’s 29-18 when Ziaire Williams scored 15 in reserve.
Second chance scoring
Orlando entered Friday’s contest averaging the fifth-most second-chance points (18.4) in the league.
Shooting 9 for 25 from the field in the second quarter, the Magic extended possessions and met their season-average of 18 second-chance points by the half.
They shot 11 for 14 in those second-chance instances to end with 25 points for the night.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn ended 2 for 8 in second chance opportunities for just 5 second-chance points.
Two-way showing
Magic two-way forward Jamal Cain made his Orlando debut late in the third quarter.
He played the final 27 seconds of the frame.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
