Paolo Banchero Makes Preseason Debut, But Magic Loses to Grizzlies

The Orlando Magic began its preseason Monday night. But it ends in a losing effort to Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 3, 2022

Paolo Banchero Makes Preseason Debut, But Magic Loses to Grizzlies /

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is starting the preseason on the wrong foot after a 109-97 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night at FedEx Forum.

The biggest storyline of the night involved No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero's debut, and the former Duke Blue Devil struggled, shooting 2 of 9 for the field for a mere eight points in just 24 minutes of action.

The Grizzlies held the lead for most of the game, leading by as much as 19 points. All-Star point guard Ja Morant led all scorers with 22 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the field in 22 minutes. Second-year forward Santi Aldama also added 21 points and Brandon Clarke scored 13 off the bench.

In terms of the Magic, Mo Wagner, R.J. Hampton and Terrence Ross had strong showings off the bench. All three role players scored in double digits. Point guard Cole Anthony led all Magic scorers with 17 points and five rebounds. The Magic put emphasis on the three-point shot tonight, making 18 of 54 attempts from beyond the three-point line.

Overall, the Magic had some bright spots tonight, but given the nature of the preseason opener, the result doesn't matter as such. Orlando can look at the positives the team had tonight and move forward with that.

The Magic return to action Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs on the road. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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Published Oct 3, 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.