Banchero, Wagner power Magic past Cavaliers 132-116 in Sean Sweeney's first home exhibition

Paolo Banchero scored 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting and Franz Wagner added 20 points and eight assists as the Orlando Magic beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-116 on Tuesday night at Kia Center, a wire-to-wire preseason win in the first home exhibition of the Sean Sweeney era. The victory, which came two days after Cleveland beat Orlando 119-105 in Ohio, lifted the Magic to 2-1 in the preseason with one tuneup left before the regular season opens in downtown Orlando on Oct. 21.

Orlando never trailed, built a lead that reached 31 points according to the Orlando Sentinel, and finished with 34 assists while shooting 51.5% from the field. The Magic also dominated the interior, outscoring Cleveland 64-54 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 54-38. The game streamed nationally on NBC's Peacock.

Banchero bounces back after a rough Sunday

The performance was a sharp turnaround for Banchero, who shot 1-for-10 in Sunday's loss at Cleveland, according to the Sentinel. On Tuesday he made 10 of his 13 attempts and added eight rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. Banchero and Wagner combined for the game's first 17 points, setting a tone that Orlando carried through three quarters before Sweeney turned the fourth over to his reserves.

Sweeney singled out the pair's approach after the game. "I thought their aggressiveness was great," Sweeney said. "Both those guys have the ability to make plays in different areas and I love how they're playing together."

Wagner's eight assists led a passing night that produced 34 team assists, the kind of ball movement Sweeney has emphasized since taking over. "I loved the way the ball moved," Sweeney said, adding: "I thought we did a really good job of playing extremely aggressively and making every option live on offense."

Jalen Suggs makes his preseason debut

Jalen Suggs, who missed Orlando's first two exhibitions with an illness, returned to the starting lineup and played only the first half. In 13 minutes he scored nine points on three 3-pointers, grabbed five rebounds, handed out two assists and was a plus-18 while on the floor. His third 3-pointer, from the top of the key, beat the buzzer to end the first quarter.

"I was pretty eager to get back on the court," Suggs said. He said sitting out was "a bit hard on the mental," and that once he returned, "the reads felt really simple."

Da Silva, Bitadze and Richardson add depth

Tristan da Silva, who led Orlando in scoring in each of the first two preseason games, scored 18 points in 20 minutes and went 4-for-11 from 3-point range. Goga Bitadze led the bench with 14 points, and Jase Richardson added 10 points, four rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes.

The Magic's other new-look starters had quieter nights. Desmond Bane scored eight points in 26 minutes and made two of nine 3-point attempts, according to the Sentinel, while Wendell Carter Jr. finished with seven points, seven rebounds and a block in 22 minutes.

Orlando shot 36% from 3-point range for the game. Sweeney gave the fourth quarter to the team's two-way players and training camp invitees, and Malaki Branham, who signed with Orlando in September, led that group with eight points, according to Rookie Wire.

The box score, as reported by the Sentinel and Rookie Wire:

A focus on the glass

The rebounding margin was a point of emphasis after Sunday's loss. Orlando won the battle on the boards 54-38, including 12-10 on the offensive glass, and turned its misses into 19 second-chance points, according to Rookie Wire.

"We made it a point of emphasis to go to the boards on both ends," Sweeney said. He added later: "I think the second-chance points, we saw 19 second-chance points, so that was pretty good."

Sweeney also pointed to the defensive end and to fixing what went wrong in Cleveland. "And then the carryover on things that we wanted to improve upon last game, I thought we did a really good job with that," he said.

Who sat out

Orlando played without three rotation players. Anthony Black sat with a right ankle sprain, Jonathan Isaac missed the game for personal reasons, and veteran center Nikola Vučević was held out for rest. Vučević rejoined the Magic on a one-year deal in July for a second stint with the franchise, which traded him to Chicago in 2021.

A new coach finds his footing

Tuesday's game was the first chance for Kia Center fans to see Sweeney run the Magic in person. Orlando fired Jamahl Mosley on May 4 after five seasons and hired Sweeney, a former associate head coach with the San Antonio Spurs, on June 1. Sweeney won his first game on the sideline on Oct. 7, a 122-118 preseason win at Memphis in which da Silva scored 19, before the Magic dropped Sunday's game at Cleveland, where da Silva scored 17.

Against Cleveland on Tuesday, the early returns pointed to the style Sweeney has preached: more passing, more paint touches and a commitment to rebounding. The 34 assists and 64 points in the paint stood out against a Cavaliers team that had handled Orlando two nights earlier.

What's next

The Magic close the preseason Friday, Oct. 16, against the Miami Heat at Kia Center, with tipoff at 7 p.m. on MagicTV 27 and DAZN, according to the Sentinel. The Florida rivals will meet in an exhibition that serves as Orlando's final dress rehearsal.

The regular season opens Wednesday, Oct. 21, when the Magic host the Atlanta Hawks, a Southeast Division rival, at Kia Center at 7 p.m. Orlando then returns home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 23.

Whether Black, Isaac and Vučević play Friday will offer a clearer look at the rotation Sweeney plans to use on opening night. For now, Banchero's efficiency, Wagner's playmaking and Suggs' healthy return gave Central Florida fans a promising first home look at the new coaching staff.