Instant Observations: Magic Drop Preseason Opener to Pelicans 106-104

The Orlando Magic dropped its preseason opener to the New Orleans Pelicans 106-104 on Monday. The Magic turned the ball over 22 times and shot 25% from three.

New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) blocks the shot of Orlando Magic guard Gary Harris (14) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic lost its preseason-opening contest to the New Orleans Pelicans 106-104 on Monday afternoon.

Orlando trailed for most of the contest, but made a furious comeback attempt in the game's waning seconds. Two-way guard Trevelin Queen had a look at a game-winning triple at the buzzer, but the attempt hit front iron.

The Magic are 0-1 in the preseason. Let's dive into some instant observations from the first time the Magic took the floor this year versus an opponent:

Orlando's offense will be a work in progress

The Magic first unit of Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. got off to a sluggish start out of each half in Monday's preseason opener.

In the first half of the contest, the hosts jumped out to a 19-8 lead over the Magic. Out of the halftime break, Pelicans reserves led a 10-0 run versus the Orlando starters, who all started the second half.

As a collective, they struggled with turnovers and ball movement throughout much of the contest. Orlando turned the ball over 22 times, and the Pelicans took advantage to the tune of 26 points on the extra possessions.

Jalen Suggs' development as a point guard will likely involve some growing pains, and he had five turnovers in his first outing back in the role. On the day, Suggs finished with 11 points on 3-10 shooting and 3-8 from three., and added four rebounds with three assists.

Orlando's offense still did some positive things. Paolo Banchero was solid in his 21 minutes, getting to his spots and scoring 15 points on 5-7 shooting and making 4-6 free throws. The Magic had good looks from three but shot just 25% (9-36) from distance.

Franz Wagner and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were each quiet in the season's unofficial first outing.

Magic free throws kept the game tight. Orlando shot 24 times from the line as opposed to New Orleans' seven attempts, and held a 18-6 advantage in makes. Orlando spent more time at the stripe than any other team in the NBA last season, and the Magic offense was more than happy to utilize its aggression in getting to the basket often in the opener. But other forms of offensive initiation still left more to be desired.

All preseason happenings should be taken with a grain of salt, of course, but there's certainly plenty of film for the Magic to digest and study heading into their next contest.

Magic's depth early shows signs of promise

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said before the game that his starters would see the floor for about 18-20 minutes in the preseason opener as an effort to get more guys on the floor. Orlando's roster is deep, and there are critical minutes situations to get sorted out through the early portion of the calendar.

In the early going, Cole Anthony and Anthony Black helped provide a nice scoring lift after a sluggish start from the first unit. Black's aggression was evident, getting to the bucket and converting a couple of nice finishes around the rim. They were the catalysts to a second unit that upped the ante and held the game close for most of the afternoon.

Tristan da Silva got some extended run, as did Jett Howard and Cory Joseph on the third unit. As more opportunities come along in the preseason, their involvement will be of keen interest.

Moritz Wagner and Goga Bitadze each had solid stints when Wendell Carter Jr. wasn't in the game. There was always going to be rotation in the frontcourt, especially in a preseason setting like this one, but Orlando's depth at center could come into play early and often. Carter Jr. left Monday's game midway through the third quarter with a sprained left ankle.

This wasn't the sought-after outcome in mind when Wagner and Bitdaze were signed back with Orlando this offseason, but the value of their presence has already increased.

Notables

New Orleans Pelicans

• Zion Williamson: 16 points, 8-11 FG, 8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl
• Jordan Hawkins: 18 points, 5-8 FG

Orlando Magic

• Paolo Banchero: 15 points, 5-7 FG, 3 reb, 2 ast
• Anthony Black: 9 points, 3-6 FG, 4 ast
• Goga Bitadze: 7 points, 9 reb, 2 blk

Up Next

Orlando travels to San Antonio for its second preseason game of the year, meeting the Spurs at 8 p.m. ET.

FINAL BOX:
New Orleans 106, Orlando 104#MakeItMagic pic.twitter.com/25ZQDerhNs

— Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) October 7, 2024

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