ORLANDO, Fla. -- Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner combined for 44 points, and Jalen Suggs returned to the starting lineup to lead the Orlando Magic to a 132-116 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday at the Kia Center.
Banchero scored 24 points and eight rebounds, while Wagner had 20 points and eight assists as the Magic improved to 2-1 in the preseason with one game left. Tristan da Silva finished with 18 points, Goga Bitadze had 14 points and Jase Richardson added 10 points off the bench.
The Magic, who were without Anthony Black (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (personal reasons) and Nikola Vučević (rest), saw Suggs back on the court for the first time this preseason after the sixth-year guard missed their first two games due to illness. He
only played in the first half.
After falling 119-105 to the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Sunday, Orlando led the entire game, shooting 51.5% from the field and holding a 64-54 advantage in the paint. The group outrebounded the Cavaliers 54-38 and dished out 34 assists.
With 10 rotation players seeing the bulk of the workload over the first three quarters of the game, coach Sean Sweeney reserved the fourth quarter for their two-way players and Exhibit 10s, with Malaki Branham leading that group with eight points.
The Magic will close out the preseason on Friday in Orlando against the Miami Heat. Sweeney said the team has a progression plan for each player toward the regular-season opener on Oct. 21, so the starters and second unit could again see extended time against the Heat.
Here are 4 observations from the win on Tuesday:
Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs made his preseason debut with the Magic on Tuesday, logging 12 minutes, 48 seconds as a starter. He saw only first-half action, recording nine points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal while finishing a plus-18 on the court.
Suggs hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to finish the opening frame and score his first basket of the contest. He knocked down two additional 3s in the second quarter, including one created after forcing a turnover and taking it down the court.
Overall, Suggs didn't look all that affected by missing two games, showing his effort with dives to the floor and his usual burst on both ends. With one preseason game left, Suggs could get more minutes as he ramps up ahead of the season opener.
"I was pretty eager to get back on the court," Suggs said. "It was a really good build-up leading up to the first two games. It was a bit hard on the mental sitting out those two, so I was just excited to get back out on the floor, throw the jersey on and play the game. It felt really simple; the reads felt really simple."
elite @jalensuggs sequence pic.twitter.com/2EnKw2NkSL
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) October 13, 2026
Starting Lineup
With Suggs debuting on Tuesday, Sweeney and the team got their first look at their projected starting lineup for the upcoming season. The group saw limited action last year due to injuries, but it was clearly the team's most effective lineup. Banchero and Wagner set the tone early for the Magic, combining for the first 17 points of the game. Sweeney was pleased with how Banchero and Wagner led the group.
"I thought their aggressiveness was great," Sweeney said. "Both of those guys have the ability to make plays in different areas, and I love how they're playing together and the way they started the game. I thought they did a really nice job of, on both ends frankly, but on the offensive end, I thought their aggressiveness was great."
Offense
Sweeney arrived in Orlando as a detail-oriented coach who brought intensity and intentionality to each of his stops across the league, and those traits have been evident early with the Magic, especially on offense. Even Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has noticed a change in their offense in such a small sample, saying before the game that they are playing differently than they did under Jamahl Mosley.
The Magic looked more intentional about initiating their sets earlier in the shot clock and moving the ball methodically around the court, resulting in 34 assists. It also helped that their starters and second unit shot 54.7% from the field, including 40% from 3-point range, through the first three quarters before Sweeney emptied the bench in the final frame.
"I really loved the way the ball moved," Sweeney said. "I thought we did a really good job of playing extremely aggressively and making every option live on offense."
Rebounding
The Magic made more of a concerted effort to box out on defense and limit the Cavaliers' second-chance points on Tuesday. While holding a 54-38 rebounding advantage, they also won the offensive rebounding battle 12-10, areas which Sweeney was pleased with.
"We made it a point of emphasis to go to the boards on both ends and really try to be aggressive to hit and check when (the Cavaliers) do crash," Sweeney said. "Then on our end, making sure we play by our rules to really attack the boards. We did a really good job on both ends. I think the second-chance points, we saw 19 second-chance points, so that was pretty good. I really liked that."
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Magic takeaways from win vs. Cavaliers: Jalen Suggs, offense and more
