Orlando Magic Extinguish Miami heat in Season Opener

By Luke Sylvia

New logo, new jerseys, new look Orlando Magic. The Kia Center was ready to rock tonight and so was the entire Magic roster.

The Orlando Magic faced a lot of adversity in game 1/82 against the Miami heat, yet still came out victorious. The final score was 125-121, led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner's 24 points apiece.

Orlando's new-look backcourt also contributed in big ways with Desmond Bane notching 23 points (7/18 FG, 3/7 3pt) and Jalen Suggs shooting 6/7 with 14 points in just 17 minutes.

A Ridiculous Start

We knew we were in for a weird first half when Miami had a four and three-point opportunity in their first two possessions. A personal foul on Jalen Suggs while getting screened by Bam Adebayo, followed by Suggs fouling Norman Powell on a corner three.

From there, it only got weirder. Six minutes into the game, the Magic and heat were a combined 8/11 from the perimeter. With 2:24 left in the second quarter, Orlando found themselves down 11 points after a Jaime Jaquez Jr. floater. In those short two minutes, the Magic came storming back, cutting the lead to just one after a Franz Wagner triple with 4.1 seconds left. You could hear a collective sigh of relief when Franz converted on his first three of the season, too.

Aside from Desmond Bane and Franz Wagner, the big stories of the half were Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva, who both looked like seasoned vets. Both players had their moments -- Da Silva with a big three-pointer to give Orlando the 53-50 lead, which was the first lead since their 2-0 start, along with Black throwing down a lob from Franz Wagner that brought the white-out Kia Center to their feet. Da Silva finished the game with 16 points (5/8 FG, 3/5 3pt), while Anthony Black finished with 7 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds.

Three Words: Desmond Michael Bane

With the Magic down seven and 6 minutes to go in the game, Desmond Bane hit a gigantic three-pointer to cut the heat lead to four.

With 37.3 seconds to go, Desmond Bane dives to the floor for a loose ball and gets fouled. Jalen Suggs doesn't miss a beat and quickly waves his arms up and down to pump up the electrified Magic crowd. That duo is going to be Orlando's motor all season, and they'll always be a fun watch.

Jalen Suggs is BACK

Leading up to the season opener, there was speculation about if Suggs would even play the first part of the season. As of the other day, the conversation shifted to Suggs doing more work in practice, hinting at a possible ret

urn on opening night after suffering a trochlea injury in his left knee last season. We then found out hours before tipoff that he would indeed be playing.

After hearing the crowd's roar when Suggs was introduced in the starting lineups by the Magic's new PA Announcer, Jarryd Tribble, you knew Jalen would feed off the energy throughout the game and create it, too. The Magic will continue to ramp him up as the season progresses, but playing 17 minutes after 8+ months off is an encouraging sign.

What's Next?

Orlando will host the Atlanta Hawks Friday night at 7pm, followed by welcoming the Chicago Bulls to town the following night at 7pm. Orlando Magic basketball is back, and it's beautiful.