Without regular starters Markelle Fultz (left knee) and Wendell Carter Jr. (left hand), the Magic were able to overcome their depleted roster, rely on their reserves to deliver and split the regular-season series with the Lakers in a high-scoring victory Saturday at Amway Center.
Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero combined to score 51 as the Magic (4-2) captured their second straight win, 120-101, to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Lakers (3-3).
The Magic will remain at home as they host the Dallas Mavericks and debut their latest all-blue City Edition jerseys on Monday night (Bally Sports Florida, 7).
Starting 5
Without Fultz and Carter, coach Jamahl Mosley inserted rookie guard Anthony Black and reserve center Goga Bitadze into Orlando’s starting lineup. Black and Bitadze joined regulars Jalen Suggs, Wagner and Banchero to open the game.
Banchero, who recorded a career-high 10 assists, put together another efficient offensive showing (9 of 15 FGs) as he scored at least 25 points for a second straight game after failing to crack more than 15 in the first four games of the season.
Wagner pushed the pace in transition early but forced shots early to start 3 of 8. He eventually found his footing on offense and scored seven straight points for Orlando to close out the first half.
He finished with a team-high 26 points in 33 minutes with 5 rebounds.
Bitadze blocked Anthony Davis on the opening possession of the game. Davis found himself in foul trouble, picking up 3 fouls in the opening 24 minutes, but still finished with 28 points on the road.
Meanwhile, Bitadze recorded the sixth double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds and added 5 blocks.
Second Unit
With Black and Bitadze starting against the Lakers, Mosley aimed to keep his regular second unit together as much as possible.
The Magic coach used a nine-man rotation throughout most of the night despite not having veteran guard Gary Harris, who’s dealing with a strained right groin suffered Thursday in Utah.
Mosley turned to Joe Ingles, Cole Anthony, Moe Wagner and Jonathan Isaac off the bench before inserting the team’s third unit to close the game out with Orlando well ahead late. The second unit offered Orlando a lot of size on both ends with Isaac and Wagner, which helped the Magic match with L.A.
Franz Wagner at times joined this second unit as the Magic took advantage of the strong chemistry between him and brother Moe, who scored 13 points off the bench.
When Black and Anthony were on the court together, it was Anthony (14 points) who handled the ball most of the time, which allowed Black to play off-ball and cut through the Lakers’ defense.
Rookie Watch
Black showed why he earned the start in place of the injured Fultz early in the game.
Using his size and athleticism, the 6-7 guard recorded three rebounds in the first quarter to go with five early points, including a corner 3.
The Arkansas product looked comfortable as he handled the ball for Orlando’s starting group to score 11 points with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.
Black made the first 10 field goal attempts of his pro career, before missing. That is the most FGAs without a miss to start a career in the NBA since 1996-97. The previous high was 9, set by Montrezl Harrell from Oct. 28-30, 2015.
With the Magic ahead by 16 points with 3:05 remaining in the game, fellow lottery-pick Jett Howard entered with Orlando’s third unit. He attempted two shots with a rebound in the final minutes.
Second-chance Success
Similar to the first meeting between the two sides earlier this week on the West Coast, the Magic dominated the glass on offense.
After 20 second-chance points in the first matchup, Orlando grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, which led to 36 second-chance points. The Lakers only scored 15 second-chance points on 10 offensive boards.
It’s not common for opposing teams to have success scoring second-chance points against the Lakers due to the size and length of Davis but Orlando did so twice this season.
For the night, the Magic out-rebounded the Lakers 51-40.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, also known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.
![Magic rookie Anthony Black made his fourth start Tuesday night against the Nets. His teammates have noticed his confidence on the court. "I do like [that] he's got a little feistiness to him," Orlando center Moe Wagner said. "He talks a little smack sometimes which I like."](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Magic-Nets-Basketball.jpg?w=525 "Magic rookie Anthony Black made his fourth start Tuesday night against the Nets. His teammates have noticed his confidence on the court. \"I do like [that] he's got a little feistiness to him,\" Orlando center Moe Wagner said. \"He talks a little smack sometimes which I like.\"")
