LAS VEGAS — Over the course of the past two days,
Magic
summer league coach
Ameer Bahhur
had stressed to his team playing with controlled pace and limiting their turnovers.
Although
Orlando
had its moments and fought hard in its second
Las Vegas Summer League
game Sunday against Toronto at Thomas & Mack Center, the group failed to take care of the ball when it fell to 0-2 out west.
The sides committed a total of 51 turnovers, with the Magic recording 29. Toronto took full advantage with 44 points off their takeaways and held on to win 89-86.
“I thought our guys did a heck of a job battling,” Bahhur said. “That was a heck of a fight against an experienced team. Physical, physical game and I thought our guys did a great job of battling.”
Magic second-year pro
Tristan da Silva
got off to a fast start when he drilled his first three shots from beyond the arc and seemed to be in control of finding his spots on the floor.
Despite picking up two fouls in the first quarter, da Silva remained aggressive with the ball in his hands, converting an and-one in transition late in the second quarter.
His sharp-shooting powered a 18-point performance with 5 rebounds, but he missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the closing moments.
“It doesn’t necessarily come down to the last possession of the game,” da Silva said. “In the beginning of the game, we were kind of on our heels with their physicality and the way they were playing.
“Throughout the second half, we matched that and that’s what got us back into the game,” he added.
Magic second-round pick Noah Penda appeared more comfortable in his second summer league game compared to his first. The 6-foot-7 forward from France did a little bit of everything on both ends of the court with 9 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and a block.
“It was a better second game than the first one,” Penda said. “We’ve still got to do better. One of our objectives was to match their physicality and we handled it, but we’ve got to erase those little mistakes.”
Penda portrayed his ability to knock down shots from the outside when he pulled up off the dribble and converted a triple in the first half. He also continued to make his presence felt everywhere he could on defense.
Fellow rookie Jase Richardson distributed the ball well early with 3 assists in the first half. The 6-1 guard from Michigan State was able to get to the free throw line in the second half, which helped him reach 19 points (8 of 9 FTs), when he finished through contact using his 6-6 wingspan to his advantage.
Seventeen of his 19 points were scored in the second half.
“Getting downhill, driving and finishing through contact,” Richardson said when asked what changed for him offensively. “That was one of the biggest things. In the first half, I was trying to shy away from it a little bit, so just going into the second half, [I was] staying aggressive, keeping my mindset and trying to get to the basket.”
Toronto’s aggressive ball pressure gave Orlando a myriad of issues in the second quarter, a frame that the Raptors opened on an 18-5 run.
Still, the Magic trailed by just 5 at the break and were able to pick up their own defensive intensity in the third quarter. Although Orlando was able to regain its lead in the third quarter and was ahead by 2 entering the fourth.
The Magic had help off the bench when 6-5 guard Wendell Moore Jr. posted an efficient 22 points with a pair of triples and 6-4 guard Alondes Williams added 14 with 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Orlando regulars Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac and Anthony Black were sitting courtside Sunday to show their support for the Magic summer league squad.
“Overall, it was a super competitive game, super physical game, and that’s something we live for,” Richardson said.
The Magic are off Monday before facing the Thunder on the first night of a back-to-back Tuesday (6:30, NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Network Florida).
Orlando plays the Nets the next night (7:30, NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Network Florida).
Jason Beede can be reached at
