Magic wrap up preseason with commanding win against Flamengo
On a night that celebrated international basketball, the Magic expectedly had no problem handling Brazilian team Flamengo, and they did so without a majority of their roster on the court.
Rookie Jett Howard fueled Orlando with 21 points in 28 minutes as the Magic cruised to a 109-76 victory at Amway Center on Friday. Just 10 players of Orlando’s 21-man training camp roster saw action.
“You’ve got to give Flamengo credit. They played hard and sustained their effort the entire game,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game. “It was great for our guys to feel that level of physicality and keep doing the simple things the right way.”
With the preseason complete, the Magic open the 2023-24 regular season against the visiting Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Amway Center.
Starting 5
Mosley gave his regular starting lineup of the preseason — Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. — the night off.
Instead, Mosley started Anthony Black, Howard, Caleb Houstan, Chuma Okeke and Goga Bitadze against Flamengo. Throughout the first three preseason games, those five generally played with the second and third units of the roster.
Houstan made four 3-pointers to score 12 points while playing all 12 minutes of the opening quarter. The second-year forward missed the first pair of exhibitions due to a sore right ankle.
He finished with 15 points and added 6 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist in 24 minutes.
Bitadze finished with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 22 minutes.
Rookie Watch
With extended minutes for Black and Howard, the Magic were able to see more of their lottery picks, albeit against non-NBA competition.
Still, it was a solid night for the pair of the rookies.
Black, the starting group’s primary ballhandler, took awhile to score but filled up the rest of the boxscore with 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. He finished with 7 points in 26 minutes while showcasing his playmaking abilities.
“I really think AB is special defensively,” Mosley said. “He just has a tenacity about him to go after the ball. What people don’t recognize is the things he’s really doing offensively as well.
“He learns and figures out where to space the floor. He’s trying to make the right pass at all times. He has great court vision and awareness.”
Howard, who missed all 6 of his shots Tuesday in a loss to the Pelicans, bounced back on offense while looking more comfortable shooting the ball from beyond the arc.
The Michigan product went 5 of 9 from 3-point range to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
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Second Unit
Magic forward Admiral Schofield, guard Brandon Williams, guard Trevelin Queen, guard-forward Daeqwon Plowden and guard Mac McClung came off the bench for Mosley.
The Magic coach said prior to the game that this group of players would get extended minutes compared to previous exhibitions, and that’s what happened.
McClung, who won last year’s NBA dunk contest, ran the offense with Black on the bench. Although he’s known for his entertaining slams, McClung displayed his passing ability and added 11 points.
Queen scored an efficient and team-high 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Williams added 13.
McClung, Queen, Williams and Plowden all joined Orlando for training camp Exhibit 10 deals.
Night off
In addition to Orlando’s regular starting five sitting out, key rotational players Moe Wagner, Joe Ingles, Gary Harris, Cole Anthony and Jonathan Isaac also did not play.
Two-way guard Kevon Harris was spotted in street clothes on the bench. He did not appear in any of Orlando’s four exhibitions due to right knee soreness.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.
