Magic Win Preseason Finale vs. Cavs, Prepare for Regular Season to Start

The Orlando Magic finish the preseason with four straight wins, culminating in Friday night's win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 14, 2022

Magic Win Preseason Finale vs. Cavs, Prepare for Regular Season to Start /

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is walking into the regular season on the right foot after a 114-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night at Amway Center.

The game was tight at the end with both teams emptying their benches, but it was the Magic's youth who came out on top. Caleb Houstan, who didn't enter the game until midway through the third quarter, hit two clutch threes within the last two minutes to push Orlando ahead and finished with 11 points in 15 minutes of action.

When the primary rotation players were out there, the Magic looked solid, challenging the Cavaliers with its length.

Head coach Jamahl Mosley started Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba, who all stand 6-10 and taller.

The tall lineup worked out well for the Magic on defense, outrebounding the Cavs 51-35.

While tonight's result is promising, the slate is officially wiped clean now. From now until April, all 82 games will count for the Magic and set the tone for how the rebuild takes shape in the first year of the Paolo Banchero era in Orlando.

The first game of the Magic's schedule takes place Wednesday night when the team travels to the Motor City to face the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Published Oct 14, 2022

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.