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Magic ‘just stayed with it’ to earn first win of season against Knicks
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- Magic ‘just stayed with it’ to earn first win of season against Knicks
NEW YORK — As Sean Sweeney ended his post-game address to the Magic inside the locker room Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, the team had one more surprise for the first-time NBA head coach.
An ice-cold celebration.
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After Paolo Banchero presented Sweeney the game ball, Orlando dumped buckets of cold water on him celebrating the team's 111-102 victory over the Knicks — one that represented the Magic's first under Sweeney and first of the season following an 0-2 start.
In typical Sweeney fashion, he didn't make it about himself when talking to the media about the nine-point win. Instead, he spoke about his team.
"I was really happy for them, more than anything," Sweeney said. "The team did a good job of being aggressive and sticking with it. And I think that, to me, is what is great about tonight — is it didn't go easy, it wasn't continuously successful. We had to really stick with it against the defending champs. So, I was happy to see those guys do that."
Sweeney's assessment of the game wasn't inaccurate.
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The Magic took almost five minutes to score their first points of the night when the Knicks jumped out to a 12-0 lead. But Orlando's deficit never grew larger than 12 points.
So how did they do it? How did the Magic hand a Knicks squad — that only lost 10 games at home last season — their second loss at Madison Square Garden and third straight to open the season?
Orlando received key contributions from its bench to begin the game and when the time was right, its star players took over the contest late. Meanwhile, New York became just the third reigning NBA champion to start a season 0-3 and the first since the Mavericks did so in the 2011-12 season.
Through the first three quarters, Anthony Black (15 points) and Tristan da Silva (16) combined to score 31 of Orlando's 71 points. Then in the final frame alone, Franz Wagner (21 points) and Desmond Bane (11) totaled 32 of the team's 40 points.
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In his season debut, Black led the team with a plus-minus rating of plus-21 largely thanks to a 5-for-7 showing from 3-point range. Da Silva added another five 3-pointers to finish with 19 points and Bane knocked down four long-range shots to post 22.
Veteran center Nikola Vucevic, who recorded five points, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 15 minutes, shared his perspective of the win.
"We just stayed with it," Vucevic told the Orlando Sentinel in the locker room. "Then in the second half, we started making some shots, we secured the glass better and our defense stayed solid. It wasn't pretty but we got it done, and that's what matters."
"And that's how it's going to be sometimes, especially against these very good teams," Vucevic added.
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Wagner didn't just end the night with 23 points either. He recorded a career-high 13 rebounds and neared a triple-double with nine assists.
After scoring just two of his 23 points in the first three quarters, Sweeney explained what changed for the German forward.
"I thought his aggressiveness was great," Sweeney said. "I thought he did a great job of really attacking and then making good decisions. Early, it felt like he was trying to probe and find avenues to attack. In the second half, really, but in the fourth quarter he saw the space, took the space, and then made the right play."
It wasn't all positive for the Magic on Sunday night, however.
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Already without Banchero for what could be up to a month because of a right low-grade high ankle sprain, the Magic saw starting guard Jalen Suggs exit the game with help late in the fourth quarter after falling to the floor, grabbing his right knee in pain.
Suggs underwent an MRI that revealed he suffered a mild bone bruise in his right knee, the Magic announced. There was no other structural damage in his right knee, according to the team.
The Orlando Sentinel observed Suggs walking on his own power, but moving slowly with both knees wrapped heavily with ice in the locker room after the game. Suggs will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the team said.
"It's super tough always to see a teammate go down," Wagner said. "It didn't look great from where I was. I hope he's all right."
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The Magic (1-2) will practice Tuesday in New York before traveling to Toronto for two games in three days against the Raptors (2-1) on Wednesday and Friday.
Orlando went 1-2 versus Toronto last season, including a 52-point drubbing that represented the largest loss in franchise history.
But Sunday's game was an example of what the Magic can accomplish on both ends of the floor under Sweeney.
"We've just got to continue to work on it," Vucevic said. "It's a new system, new way of playing for everyone, new staff. It takes time. It's not going to happen overnight. We're going to continue to build it and to trust it little by little.
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"You want to do it by winning, but it doesn't always work that way. We've just got to take it game-by-game."
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next
What:Magic at Raptors
When:7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Scotiabank Arena
TV:MagicTV 27, DAZN (streaming)
