{"id":425787,"date":"2026-10-12T19:06:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T19:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/425787\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T19:06:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T19:06:07","slug":"orlando-magic-aim-to-fix-mistakes-in-preseason-cavs-rematch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/425787\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Magic aim to fix mistakes in preseason Cavs rematch"},"content":{"rendered":"

For as sharp as the Magic<\/a> looked in their preseason opener against the Grizzlies<\/a> last Wednesday, Orlando<\/a> took a step backward in their second exhibition at Cleveland<\/a> on Sunday night.<\/p>\n

The Magic regressed from 3-point range when they shot 34% on 38 attempts against the Cavaliers<\/a>, which was down from 44% on 45 long-range shots at Memphis. Orlando also recorded fewer assists (28, which was down from 35), sent the Cavs to the free-throw line more often (30 times compared to 28) and was outrebounded 49-45, after it outrebounded Memphis 52-40.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s worth noting the Magic were without Desmond Bane<\/a> (rest), Jalen Suggs (illness), Anthony Black (right ankle sprain) and Jonathan Isaac (personal reasons) on Sunday night.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s what the preseason is for \u2014 figuring out how to play together in a new offensive and defensive system under a new head coach in Sean Sweeney<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to do a better job \u2026 defensively, scheme execution is a big one,\u201d the Magic coach said after the 119-105 loss at Rocket Arena. \u201cPositioning is going to be a big thing, making sure we do a good job with using our bodies and making sure we\u2019re strong in that sense. Defending without fouling is going to be really important there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then offensively, I think we can really get back to the running habits that we want, the spacing that we want and then doing a better job of setting and using screens.\u201d<\/p>\n

The differences in the two preseason games didn\u2019t just show up in the box score, but in live action as well. The Magic appeared hesitant on offense at times and weren\u2019t playing as connected as they were against the Grizzlies. And defensively, Orlando sent Cleveland\u2019s trio of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley to the free-throw line early and often.<\/p>\n

The Magic will get their chance to improve upon those things almost immediately against the same opponent on Tuesday night when Orlando hosts Cleveland at Kia Center<\/a> (7 p.m., Peacock\/NBCSN).<\/p>\n

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said post-game Sunday night that not only will Cleveland play its starters Tuesday at Orlando but they\u2019ll also ramp up their minutes even more in preparation for the regular season. Tuesday\u2019s preseason game is Cleveland\u2019s third and final ahead of opening the regular season Oct. 22 at Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

While the availability of Suggs, Black and Isaac isn\u2019t yet known for Tuesday, Orlando should get back Bane at home after he was given the night off Sunday at Cleveland for scheduled rest.<\/p>\n

Bane\u2019s presence alone could help open the floor up offensively for Orlando after he shot 3-for-3 from 3-point range in 13 first-half minutes against the Grizzlies.<\/p>\n

Sweeney assessed the looks the Magic got from beyond the arc at Cleveland without Bane.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we got some good ones,\u201d Sweeney said. \u201cI think we could have gotten more up, to be honest with you. But overall, the guys did a pretty good job in some areas at times, but not enough throughout the course of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

One player who didn\u2019t shy away from shooting was Tristan da Silva<\/a>. The third-year forward took 11 shots from 3-point range and made four. No other Magic player took more than four 3-pointers at Cleveland.<\/p>\n

Through two preseason games, da Silva has shot 8-for-21 (38%) from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s doing a good job of hunting good looks and when he gets them, he\u2019s letting them go and knocking them in,\u201d Sweeney said.<\/p>\n

Still, Orlando\u2019s goals against Cleveland on Tuesday are clear, including an emphasis on offensive and defensive rebounding. After facing the Cavaliers twice in three days, the Magic then wrap up the preseason Friday against the Heat at Kia Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey got a lot of second-chance points,\u201d Magic guard Jase Richardson<\/a> said about the Cavs. \u201cWe turned it over, got a little sloppy. But I think they were just being more aggressive than us. We\u2019ve got to clean up the glass.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Up next<\/p>\n

What: Magic vs. Cavaliers, preseason<\/p>\n

When: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Kia Center<\/p>\n

TV: Peacock\/NBCSN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For as sharp as the Magic looked in their preseason opener against the Grizzlies last Wednesday, Orlando took…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425788,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[114,2295,139,141,1239,140,109,76046,110],"class_list":["post-425787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-latest-headlines","tag-nba","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-magic","tag-orlando-news","tag-social","tag-social-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}