The Magic Insider

Magic Fight, Beat Up on Timberwolves in Road Win

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic got into it Friday night. But the Magic ended with the last laugh, grabbing a crucial win on the road.

Jeremy Brener

Magic Fight, Beat Up on Timberwolves in Road Win
Magic Fight, Beat Up on Timberwolves in Road Win /
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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic (21-32) is celebrating after pulling out a hard-fought 127-120 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves (28-27) Friday night at Target Center.

The Magic fell behind early, but clawed back in the second quarter with a 37-23 run to take a seven-point lead into the locker rooms.

In the third quarter, the prime highlight of the game took place when Austin Rivers and Mo Bamba threw punches at one another and turned the game into a brawl.

Bamba and Rivers were ejected following the incident. Jalen Suggs, Nathan Knight and Taurean Prince were also ejected. Further discipline could be assessed in the coming days.

The Magic doubled its lead going into the fourth quarter and cruised from there. While No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero struggled making just three of 16 shots from the field for 10 points, the rest of the team picked up the slack. Other than Banchero, six other teammates scored in double figures, including a team-high 20 from Cole Anthony off the bench.

Tonight's game captured a glimpse of the identity the Magic has drawn this season. The team plays together, for each other and hardly ever are out of a game. It's the roots you're looking for when building a team, and this foundation is forming for the franchise as each game takes place.

The Magic closes out its four-game road trip Sunday afternoon against the Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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