NBA Summer League: 3 Takeaways from Magic's Comeback Win

Two games, two wins for the Orlando Magic in the NBA 2K25 Summer League. First-round draft pick Tristan da Silva and two journeymen players contributed to the fourth-quarter rally Sunday night.

Nathaniel Marrero | Jul 15, 2024

Colorado Buffaloes forward Tristan da Silva (23) celebrates in the second half against the Washington State Cougars at T-Mobile Arena. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic are 2-0 in the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas. The victories couldn't be much more different: an early blowout Friday, then Sunday night's late comeback against the New Orleans Pelicans.

But at least one thing looked the same: the play of first-round draft pick Tristan da Silva.

The rookie forward scored 23 points, 14 in the second half, and the Magic outscored New Orleans 31-19 in the fourth quarter.

Here are three takeaways from Orlando's come-from-behind victory.

da Silva continues strong start

Tristan da Silva has looked wise beyond his years through two games.

"Tristan is a little different," Magic summer league coach Lionel Chalmers said. "He's very cerebral. He understands the game. He's very poised and patient and he knows how to play and he can read the moments. He understands the situations and what's happening and he's leading on the bench as well."

da Silva, 23, buried three of his five three-point attempts. He's 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in the two wins.

"I'm just a player," da Silva said. "I'm just trying to play the right way. I'm not out here for personal accolades. If I can impact the whole game by just playing defense and communicating on the floor and making the right reads, I'm cool with that. If it's scoring the basket, that's cool with me, too."

Magic center Jay Huff praised da Silva's versatility.

"His game is all-around solid," Huff said. "There's not too many parts of his game that I would say he doesn't have. Basketball-wise, he's a player. He's not one position. He plays basketball and it's really impressive to see and it's fun to watch."

Xavier Moon, Jay Huff provide spark

On a team with three first-round picks positioning themselves to earn playing time on a playoff team, two players fighting for a roster spot stepped up for Orlando in the fourth-quarter comeback.

Moon, a 6-foot-2 guard, had 10 points coming off the bench, seven in the second half.

"Very poised," Chalmers said of Moon's performance. "Very good point guard. He always has been communicating since Day One. He's helping other guys out. He has some experience, so he understands the game."

Moon, 29, chased his hoop dreams from France to Canada to Israel before shuttling the past three seasons between the Los Angeles Clippers and their G League affiliate.

Huff, a 7-foot-1 center with 31 games of NBA experience the past three years, scored seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer that gave the Magic the lead for good with four minutes to play. He led Orlando with a plus-minus of 22.

"I try to keep it simple," said Huff, who also scored 16 points in Friday's win. "Reading the game, that type of thing, and just trying to get stronger. I've put on some weight since the season ended and that's definitely helped as far as taking bumps [and] giving bumps. I'm a little over 250, 255 [pounds] now. I think that's part of what has helped my offensive game."

Anthony Black finds other ways to impact game

Black scored early and often in the Magic's first summer game on Friday.

The 6-foot-7 guard struggled as a scorer Sunday but tallied six assists, four in the third quarter. Black finished with just five points, but he made his two buckets count: tying the game at 73 midway through the fourth quarter; and draining a floater that extended the Magic's lead to seven with 1:09 left in the game.

"The thing about Anthony Black is he can do different things," Chalmers said. "He had six assists. He's not just a one-trick show. He does it in many ways."

Summer schedule

The Magic have two more summer-league games:

vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. ET Wednesday.
vs. the Brooklyn Nets, 8 p.m. Thursday.

da Silva continues strong start

Xavier Moon, Jay Huff provide spark

Anthony Black finds other ways to impact game

Summer schedule

Related stories on the Orlando Magic