Orlando beat Toronto 121-114 on Friday to open NBA Cup play and now sits 9th in the East at 2-3, up from 11th. Boston arrives Sunday on a four-game winning streak, and the Magic still face it without Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs or Jonathan Isaac.
Jase Richardson mattered far more than his four points suggest.
Richardson started again and finished +26, the best margin of any Magic player, adding six rebounds, two steals and a block. He scored four points on 2-of-5 shooting. At 21, he already does the floor work. His next step is a shot that defenses have to respect.
Black and Wagner shared the playmaking without Suggs.
Anthony Black had 17 points and 10 assists on 5-of-8 shooting with one turnover. Franz Wagner added 26 points and 11 assists, and Desmond Bane hit 6 of 12 threes for 28. One thing to watch: Toronto's 9-0 run early in the fourth turned a 100-93 Orlando lead into a 102-100 deficit, and Sweeney closed with Richardson and da Silva, not Black.
Boston is a different class of opponent.
The Celtics are 4-1, with Jayson Tatum averaging 27.6 points and 7.8 assists and Paul George 21.4 points. Devin Carter is out with an illness. Boston's net rating is 9.8 and Orlando's is -7.6. Scottie Barnes needed 34 shots for his 41 on Friday. Orlando can live with that kind of volume only if, as in Toronto, nobody else gets loose. Washington comes in Monday, then the Magic head west to Phoenix and Golden State.
The injury calendar sets how much this group has to carry.
Suggs and Isaac are estimated back Nov. 10, Nelson and Penda Nov. 18, and Banchero Nov. 22. Suggs' true shooting had fallen to 37.2% over his last five games before he went out. The open question is whether Black can run the offense at Friday's level against a defense as good as Boston's, or whether Wagner will keep logging 39 minutes a night as the main ball-handler.
When do the Magic play the Celtics?
Orlando hosts Boston on Sunday, Nov. 1. The Celtics come in at 4-1 on a four-game winning streak.
When is Paolo Banchero expected back?
His estimated return from the right ankle injury is Nov. 22. Hoops Rumors reported that he expects to miss at least a month.
