Heading into Sunday's action, there were five winless teams in the Eastern Conference. Two of them were playing inside Madison Square Garden -- the Orlando Magic and defending-champion New York Knicks.
The Magic were the team that prevailed, battling back from multiple double-digit deficits to earn a 111-102 win. What were a few of our takeaways from the key win? Let's examine!
Sep 28, 2026; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) poses for a picture during media day at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With Paolo Banchero out for at least a month with a high ankle sprain, all eyes are now on Magic star Franz Wagner.
The first three quarters weren't his best -- as a scorer -- even though he was still making a positive impact as a defender, rebounder and playmaker. Wagner had just two points on 1-of-10 shooting, having a difficult time navigating the Knicks' slew of defenders.
But Wagner awoke in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 fourth-quarter points on 8-of-13 shooting. All of his made baskets came inside the restricted area, where he wasn't fazed by any of New York's rim protectors.
Wagner was one assist shy of a triple-double, tallying 13 rebounds and nine assists in 37 minutes. The Magic outscored the Knicks 40-27 in the final period.
May 3, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) hugs guard Anthony Black (0) after the game against the Detroit Pistons during game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Despite multiple open looks created for sharpshooting guard Desmond Bane, Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner, the Magic did not have a made basket until the 7:12 mark in the first quarter, courtesy of Anthony Black (more on him shortly).
After they were in a 12-point hole in the blink of an eye, the bench completely changed the tune. They accounted for 28 of their 48 first-half points, finishing with 47 for the game. Wagner's fourth quarter notwithstanding, you couldn't have asked for more from Anthony Black, Tristan da Silva, Jamal Cain and even Nikola Vucevic.
Apr 29, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) walks off the court after the game against the Detroit Pistons during game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Speaking of the bench: Entering Sunday, Orlando was 29th in bench points per 100 possessions. A big reason for that was that it was without Black, who was sidelined for all of preseason plus their first two games with an ankle injury.
It didn't take long to acclimate himself. Black entered and tallied six straight points to get the ball rolling. He scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 5-of-7 from 3-point range in 26 minutes.
Notably, Black was taking and making shots in rhythm with confidence -- and he was moving like a player whose ankle wasn't bothering him. That's a good sign for a player who hasn't played a competitive game in over six months.
Oct 25, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) warmups prior to the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
One of the biggest takeaways from preseason was not only the Magic's proficiency from 3-point range, but the volume at which they were hoisting 3-pointers.
Some of the carried over to the first two games, as they were third in 3-point attempt rate and No. 13 in 3-point attempts per 100 possessions entering Sunday.
The catch was that they weren't falling, shooting just 26.6 percent from distance (27th), including 29.2 percent from deep on open- and wide-open attempts, according to NBA.com's shot tracking data.
As they say, the water found its level. And two biggest beneficiaries were Black and Tristan da Silva. Orlando doubled up the Knicks on made threes (18-9), with da Silva making five of his nine attempts, tallying 19 points.
During the preseason, first-year head coach Sean Sweeney was adamant that da Silva had the greenest of green lights. That was on full display in the most storied arena in the sport. He made four threes in their opener before a 1-for-7 effort against Minnesota.
As a result of Banchero's absence, da Silva is the player I'm looking toward to provide the biggest boost. Sunday was a good start!
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/magic/onsi as How the Magic earned first win of season vs. defending champion Knicks .
