It’s no secret 3-point shooting has been the Achilles heel of the Magic the past few seasons, and that continued to be true Saturday night against the Bulls at Kia Center.
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Orlando was lifeless from distance when it shot 12.5% (3 of 24) from beyond the arc and couldn’t keep up with Chicago, who exited with a 110-98 victory in its back pocket behind Josh Giddey’s 21 points.
The Magic only made one 3-pointer in each of the first three quarters and didn’t hit from any the entire fourth.
It didn’t help Jamahl Mosley’s squad that it turned the ball over 20 times for 24 Chicago points in its second straight home loss. Just 24 hours earlier in a 4-point loss to the Hawks, the Magic allowed 20 points off 22 turnovers.
The Bulls (2-0) had success in transition when they held a 22-10 advantage in fastbreak points in the 12-point win.
After three straight home games to open the season, the Magic (1-2) hit the road when they open a five-game trip at Philadelphia on Monday.
Starting 5
Without Jalen Suggs (left knee injury management), Mosley opted to start veteran guard Tyus Jones, following his trend from the preseason.
Jones opened alongside the rest of Orlando’s regulars Franz Wagner, Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr. and Desmond Bane against the Bulls, but the veteran guard only played 14 scoreless minutes.
Wagner was efficient getting downhill when he scored 12 points in the first half but only had 5 points after the break to end with 17.
After shooting 1 of 7 from 3 on Friday, Bane continued to struggle from distance when he missed his only pair. He made up for it in the paint to total 14 points with 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 31 minutes.
Facing his former team, Carter was able to help crash the glass with 13 rebounds but only finished with 8 points on 1 of 7 shooting from the floor.
Banchero bounce back
The All-Star forward made a concerted effort to find spots and attack the basket early following a quiet night Friday.
After scoring just 11 points on 4 of 15 shooting in 36 minutes against Atlanta, Banchero posted 10 points on 4 of 6 attempts in the first quarter alone against Chicago. He finished with a team-high 24 but only shot 1 for 4 from distance.
Banchero got to the free throw line a ton when he shot 9 of 11 from the charity stripe. He added 7 rebounds.
Second unit
With Jones getting promoted to the starting lineup, Mosley turned to Anthony Black, Jett Howard, Tristan da Silva, Goga Bitadze and Jonathan Isaac as the first five off the bench.
Black was efficient penetrating the paint converting his first three layups with 9 points before the break. The third-year guard still struggled to take care of the ball with 5 turnovers after 4 the prior night.
After two consecutive double-digit performances to open the season, da Silva (8 points) failed to make an impact on offense when he missed his all six of long-range attempts.
Coming off a 9-second appearance vs. Atlanta, Isaac saw the court in the second quarter and immediately scored on a putback dunk. The veteran forward, however, only played 6 minutes. Similarly, Howard only played 9 minutes.
Chicago’s bench outscored Orlando’s 58-35.
Rookie watch
Mosely said prior to the game there “could be an opportunity” for guard Jase Richardson to see the floor with Suggs out and that chance came late in the third quarter.
The No. 25 pick made his NBA debut when he entered the contest with 4:22 left in the frame.
He scored his first career point with a free throw a couple of minutes later before finishing with 3 in 8 minutes.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Originally Published: October 25, 2025 at 9:36 PM EDT