The Orlando Magic won a thriller against the Miami Heat that forced the team to lock in all the way down to the wire.
The responded by doing just that, closing out the game with a strong 4th quarter run to take the lead away from the Heat and they never looked back once they pulled ahead. The team had many players who’s game stuck out so here are the player grades for the Magic in their win against the Heat.
23 Points, 7/18 FG, 3/6 3PM, 6/6 FTM. 4 Reb, 3 Assists, 2 Blocks. Desmond Bane . Bane. B+
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane looks on against the Miami Heat. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
In his first game with the Magic, Desmond Bane made his impact felt. The highlight for him in the game was when he dove for the ball with 37 seconds left to go in the game, securing the possession for the Magic in what was a tight game. The Magic brought him in to shoot and he did just that, knocking down half of his threes and having one of the best debuts in recent Magic memory.
Although Bane played great, a few things to look for him to improve on is raising the assist number and shooting at a slightly better clip. Naturally this being the first game of the season, not everything will be perfect, but look for Bane to try to get more involved in the passing game as the season progresses.
24 Points, 9/17 FG, 2/5 3PM, 4/6 FTM. 6 Assists, 4 Rebounds, 2 Steals . Franz Wagner . Franz. A
Franz Was on point scoring at the rim and playing physical getting to the line six times. He also shot the ball well, over 50 percent from the field and shooting 40 percent from 3-point land. In addition to his scoring prowess, he lead the team in assists as well. His first assist of the season was a fast break alley-oop pass to Anthony Black who threw it down and sent the arena into a flurry.
11 Rebounds, 1 Block, 1 Steal. Paolo Banchero. Paolo . A-. 24 Points, 7/17 FGM, 1/3 3PM, 9/12 FT’s
Paolo Banchero was solid all throughout the night, picking his spots when he was needed. He seemed to take a slight back seat offensively in the first half, where he let Franz and Bane lead the show. In the second half, Banchero started to take over, getting to his spots and capped it off with a huge slam with less than two minutes to go to put the Magic up three.
A+. 14 Points, 6/7 FGM, 2/3 3PM. 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals. . Jalen Suggs. Suggs
Jalen Suggs just recently getting cleared and putting up a performance like this was nothing short of breathtaking. He had the Magic crowd in the palm of his hands and made a huge impact even in his limited minutes tonight.
. Wendell Carter Jr.. Wendell. B-. 4 Points, 8 Rebounds, 1 Block, 1 Steal
Carter Jr. closed the show tonight, securing an offensive rebound with six seconds to go, and hitting two huge free throws to make it a four-point game. Without that rebound, the Heat could’ve had a chance to tie or take the lead, and Carter Jr. slammed the door shut on them.