Magic rebound against Cleveland with a 132–116 preseason win

Orlando put its starting group back together and found an immediate rhythm Tuesday, October 13, beating Cleveland 132–116 at Kia Center to improve to 2–1 in the preseason.

Paolo Banchero finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Franz Wagner added 20 points and eight assists, while Jalen Suggs returned after an illness kept him out of the first two exhibitions. Suggs contributed nine points and five rebounds in 13 minutes.

The Magic opened a 17–8 lead before their first substitution and carried a 20-point cushion into halftime. Their 34 assists reflected an offense that kept the ball moving rather than relying on one player to manufacture every opportunity.

The reserves helped sustain the advantage. Tristan da Silva scored 18 points, and Goga Bitadze supplied 14 points and six rebounds. Orlando now has one exhibition remaining: Friday’s home matchup with Miami.

Our takeaway: the score was encouraging, but the more useful sign was the connection between the starters. The next test is repeating those habits when the regular season begins.