Well, midway through the marathon that is the NFL season, it’s advantage Dolphins and advantage Tua.

The latter is more impressive than the former. It means in the quarterback-leaning NFL, and in the Dolphins’ quarterback-heavy offense, things are trending in the right direction for seasonlong and possibly postseason success.

So, as we acknowledge the Dolphins are the overwhelming favorites at midseason to win the AFC East, we must also acknowledge Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the overwhelming favorite at midseason to be the AFC East Quarterback of the Year (no, there is no such award).

It’s an impressive single-season path to be on, considering the competition was New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, the men who finished 1-2 in the 2020 NFL MVP voting, and New England quarterback Mac Jones.

This was shaping up to be a three-man Battle Royale among Rodgers, Allen and Tagovailoa. 

So far, it’s been nothing close to that. Tagovailoa is the clear leader, and you see that in the standings.

Disclaimer time: It’s important to note we’re only halfway through the season. Things can and will change in many areas. I’ve got to keep repeating that because we know Tua is injury-prone, and we know the Dolphins were 8-3 last year before finishing 9-8.

Having said that, here’s where we’re at right now:

— Rodgers, the future Hall of Famer, never got his season going. He sustained an Achilles injury in his first series as a Jets quarterback. Zach Wilson is the starter and he has five touchdowns, six interceptions and a cringe-worthy 74.6 passer rating, which ranks 30th in the NFL.

— Allen, the All Pro and Pro Bowl selection, is leading a struggling Buffalo team that has a 5-5 record, fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey on Monday and could have three or four more losses on its schedule among Dallas, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Miami. Allen has 19 touchdowns, which is tied for the league lead with Tagovailoa, a league-leading 11 interceptions, and a 96.6 passer rating, which ranks 12th in the league.

— Jones, who earned a Pro Bowl berth as a rookie in 2021 (he was originally a second alternate) and helped lead the Patriots to a wild-card berth that same year, was benched last week. Coach Bill Belichick has declined to name Jones as the starter this week. Jones has 10 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a miserable 80.2 passer rating, which ranks 27th in the league;

— Tagovailoa, who has had well-documented injury concerns in the past, is trending in the right direction health-wise, team-wise and individually. He has 19 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 106.4 passer rating, which is second in the league.

Most importantly, the Dolphins are 6-3 and leading the division, while Buffalo is 5-5 and in second place, followed by the Jets (4-5) and Patriots (2-8).

Again, it’s way too early to say for certain things will end the way they’re going right now.

But just as we hand out midseason awards, we can make other midseason observations.

Tagovailoa’s tenuous accomplishment is impressive for a variety of reasons. The top three reasons, in no particular order, being his competition, his injury history and his injury-riddled offensive line.

And, let’s be honest, Tagovailoa has the best supporting cast among AFC East quarterbacks.

He has the best coach (Mike McDaniel), the best running game, the best wide receivers, and soon he might have the best defense.

The offensive line, for all the doubts cast its way, has only allowed 15 sacks, third-fewest in the league. 

It takes a village, right?

It also takes a strong individual effort, and Tagovailoa has given that in many ways, including the offseason jiu-jitsu classes that taught him how to fall (tuck the chin to the chest) to help prevent the back of his head hitting the ground and getting concussions.

This is a dream scenario for the Dolphins. This is just the way they drew it up.

They’re the best team in the AFC East, and, so far, they have the season’s best-performing quarterback in the AFC East. 

After Achane was designated to return Monday, marking his return to practice while on injured reserve for a knee ailment sustained more than a month ago, signs have pointed up for him as he was back at drills after the minimum four-game absence on IR.

“I do know that he really wants to play. He’s shown that,” McDaniel said ahead of Wednesday’s practice, Achane’s second since being injured Oct. 8 against the New York Giants. “We feel good about where he’s headed. If he’s ready to roll for this game, he’ll play.”

McDaniel noted that Achane “checked all the boxes” in a light Monday practice, which wasn’t padded with tackling involved and that the rookie phenom “looked like a pro.”

“He’s come a long way in a short amount of time,” McDaniel said. “It feels like he’s not a rookie within the locker room.”

Achane, in four games as a rookie, has 460 yards and five touchdowns on 38 rushing attempts for a whopping 12.1 yards-per-carry average. He also has two receiving touchdowns. In the Sept. 24 win over the Denver Broncos, Achane burst onto the NFL scene with four total touchdowns and 203 rushing yards.

The Dolphins have Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Salvon Ahmed at tailback, should Achane not make his return Sunday at home against the Raiders.

Hunt, who missed the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 5 in Germany with a hamstring injury, did not practice Wednesday after McDaniel said he and fellow offensive lineman Robert Jones (knee) are week to week.

McDaniel said Hunt is “like a cat being in water” with how unfamiliar the usually healthy guard is with dealing with injuries.

Hunt worked on the side of Wednesday drills with trainers.

“I could see him playing in this game, I could see him playing in the next game,” McDaniel said of Hunt.

Jones was not seen at Wednesday practice. Without either of them, the Dolphins would likely start some combination of Lester Cotton and Liam Eichenberg at left and right guard.

The Dolphins also worked out a number of offensive guards Tuesday, including veteran former All-Pro Andrew Norwell. McDaniel said that was about the organization getting ahead of different scenarios where they may reach out to a free agent. Miami also worked out fellow guards Colby Gossett and Wes Martin, along with defensive backs Bubba Bolden (a Miami Hurricanes alum), Dane Cruishank and A.J. Moore.

Along with Hunt and Jones, Dolphins not seen during a media viewing portion of Thursday’s practice were tight end Durham Smythe, wide receivers Braxton Berrios and Chase Claypool and fullback Alec Ingold.

The team will release its first injury report of the week later Wednesday.

This story will be updated

Latest line: Louisville is favored by 1 point

Dave Hyde, Sports Columnist: Louisville 24, Miami 17

Some ACC team was bound to break out of the pack with Florida State and 10th-ranked Louisville has done it. Until Miami fixes its offense, it’s hard to see it scoring enough to win against good teams. Miami’s defense, however, had an inspired effort in last week’s loss at FSU, holding the Seminoles to their second-fewest number of points and second-fewest offensive yards (322) in a game this year. UM also racked up three sacks and nine tackles for loss.

Adam Lichtenstein, Hurricanes Writer: Louisville 27, Miami 24

The Cardinals are 9-1 and the Hurricanes are 6-4. That should mean this will be a lopsided contest in favor of the visitors. But not much truly separates these teams. Louisville has excelled in its first year under Jeff Brohm, but the Cardinals dropped a game to a bad Pittsburgh team and played close games against other middle-of-the-road teams. If Miami can get average quarterback play from Tyler Van Dyke, they will be very much in this game. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, that is not guaranteed.

Keven Lerner, Assistant Sports Editor: Louisville 27, Miami 23

Louisville is one win away from clinching a spot in the ACC title game, but it is coming off one of its worst defensive performances of the season against Virginia. The Cardinals, who will get an extra couple days to prepare for UM after playing a Thursday night game, rallied for 17 fourth-quarter points to beat Virginia 31-24 on Nov. 9. Miami’s embattled quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who lost his starting job to freshman Emory Williams, will get a chance to redeem himself after throwing 11 interceptions in his last five games. The Hurricanes, who are just 2-4 against ACC opponents, play their final home game. UM, which controlled both lines of scrimmage for most of the game in last week’s loss at FSU, should keep the game close, but Louisville may prove to be too much.

Coach Billy Napier has put together the school’s first top-5 class since 2013. The key now is to hold onto it while some significant cracks in the foundation have formed.

Tackle Nasir Johnson changed his commitment Wednesday to Georgia, even though 6-4 ½, 300-pound native of Dublin, Ga., still has a photo on his Twitter account wearing a Florida uniform. Johnson is the third defensive player to bail on UF during the past several days, a span when the Gators’ class has fallen from No. 3 to No. 5 per 247Sports.

“Every team has their casualties on the trail. They have their flips,” Steve Wiltfong, director of recruiting 247Sports, told the Orlando Sentinel Wednesday. “This was a big recruiting win that they had over Georgia that now they got to play against them. So it stings a little.”

Mississippi edge rusher’s Jamonta Waller’s changed his commitment to Auburn during Florida’s 52-35 loss at LSU was a cruel blow to a defense that surrendered a school-record 701 yards to the Tigers. On Sunday, cornerback Wardell Mack flipped to Texas.

Defensive tackle Amaris Williams, a top-50 prospect from North Carolina, is being doggedly pursued by Ohio State.

Whether the Gators’ class crumbles by Dec. 20’s Early National Signing Day will be critical to Napier’s long-term success after a rocky start to his tenure at Florida. The 44-year-old coach is 11-12 at Florida (5-5, 3-4 SEC) entering Saturday’s visit to No. 9 Missouri (8-2, 4-2).

“We’ll see how this class turns out,” Wiltfong said. “It’s too early. There’s still a lot of really good players in this class. There’s still a lot of reason to be very excited about the future of Florida football with this class holding together for what it is.”

Headlining the class are Daytona Beach Mainland edge rusher LJ McCray, along with DJ Lagway and Xavier Filsaime, a pair of five-star prospects from Texas. The Gators have signed a trio of highly rated linebackers, a key position of need, led by Myles Graham — the son of former UF standout running back Ernest Graham.

“There’s a lot of guys who are really locked in,” Rivals.com recruiting analyst Adam Gorney told the Sentinel. “If they love Florida, not only the direction, but the opportunity to get on the field earlier. A lot of kids are swayed by that.”

True freshmen have handled around 30% of Florida’s defensive snaps.

With that comes growing pains. The Gators ride a three-game losing streak into the Missouri game and host No. 4 Florida State (10-0) on Nov. 25.

A five-game losing streak to end Year 2 is hard to sell.

But name, image and likeness, playing opportunity, relationships with coaches and a program’s culture are other factors recruits consider.

“It just depends on who the kid is,” Wiltfong said.

Whatever Napier and Co. are touting to prospects, the Gators could use some recruiting wins as the losses mount.

“Recruiting’s about who you get, not who you don’t get. So how do they respond?” Wiltfong said. “Who’s next? Who do they get? How do they develop you know, that’s kind of where it’s at right now.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

More than Diaz’s first-time election to the American League All-Star team, and as the starting first baseman at that.

More than the American League batting title he won, the first in Rays history, and the team and personal record .330 he hit to do so.

More than the career-high 22 home runs he hit and handful of other individual and team accomplishments he piled up, including a .410 on-base percentage that was second in the league and in Rays annals.

And more than the Silver Slugger he was awarded last week as the league’s best offensive first baseman, just the fourth Ray to do so in their 26 seasons.

“I’m very happy for a lot of things,” Diaz said after the announcement via team interpreter Manny Navarro. “Some very beautiful things happened to me this year, especially the birth of my son. And I think the Silver Slugger is just an extra prize after [that].”

Thursday, Diaz is headed for another significant accomplishment, a top-10 finish in the American League MVP voting. He has a chance to be the first Ray to finish as high as fifth, as Evan Longoria was sixth in 2010 and ’13.

He will have a place in the conversation with the game’s biggest stars, such as the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, Rangers’ Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, and Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez.

“To have your name on the list with any of those guys, it’s definitely an honor,” Diaz said.

“I’m very proud of the efforts that you put in in order to be named on that list. Those are names that you consider animals in the league, that are really good players. Very proud to be on that list.”

A step forward

Diaz, 32, certainly earned it with the significant step forward he took at this advanced stage of his career.

The signs of change showed up in spring training, a couple of weeks after Diaz signed the first multiyear contract of his career, a three-year pact for $24 million, with a $12 million option for 2026.

It gave Diaz financial security, important considering his background of escaping Cuba (after being jailed four times) at age 21 to get the chance to eventually come to the United States. He signed with Cleveland for $300,000 in September 2013, giving him an opportunity to play his way to the majors.

The multiyear contract also provided Diaz comfort in his role with the Rays, with whom he’d been since a December 2018 trade. Team officials noted he seemed more relaxed, confident and outgoing. He took on something of a leadership role, one befitting a veteran player on a team that made the playoffs in each of his four years on it.

“From the time we acquired him, each year he’s become more comfortable. He’s become more trusting. The relationships have strengthened,” baseball operations president Erik Neander said. “I think that contract extension did wonders for him. It was an action that helped him feel like we didn’t just say we wanted him here — we did something to show it.

“Just watching Yandy continue to grow and to develop and to be one of those people within the clubhouse that has become much more of a leader, of an example, it’s just been a really rewarding experience that extends well beyond just this season. And excited to see that continue moving forward.”

The feeling was mutual, as evidenced by his teammates holding a “Dress Like Yandy” day (and how warmly he reacted to it) and hiring a band to follow him around during a pregame workout on his birthday.

Diaz handled a move across the diamond to become the primary first baseman with no issues and settled comfortably into the leadoff spot. Or, at least as comfortable as a 6-foot-2, well-chiseled corner infielder with Popeye biceps can.

Driven to improve

Manager Kevin Cash said he was most impressed with how driven Diaz was to improve.

“He challenged himself to be even a better hitter than he already was,” Cash said. “The guy just got a three-year contract for what he had done, and for him to show a commitment in spring training and early on, even when I think early on he was hitting home runs but he was hitting about .260 [and] that drove him crazy.

“But he committed to it, and with the work of our hitting coaches, Chad [Mottola] and that group, he stayed at it.”

Former Rays general manager Peter Bendix, who left to take over the Miami Marlins, was struck by how consistently Diaz delivered in key situations (batting .365 with runners in scoring position, second in the AL) and in providing a heartbeat to the lineup, resulting in his unanimous selection as team MVP.

”The fact that he was consistently at the top of his game all season long,” Bendix said at the postseason media session. “It felt like he never went into a slump, and I think the numbers even bear that out, that he was just consistently hitting balls hard and consistently getting base hits, consistently taking his walks and hitting for power.

“He set the tone at the top of our lineup. I think he was a big reason why others in the lineup were able to have a little pressure off of them and perform at their best level, too. And the fact that he did that all season long without really missing a beat, that was really impressive.”

Maybe you should try looking from a different vantage point. Like from, say, New England. Or Arizona. Or Carolina.

The Bucs were not the only team to bring in a new offensive coordinator this season with the hope of finding a simpler path to the end zone. In fact, half the NFL swapped out offensive coordinators during the off-season. That’s 16 new coordinators, including six rookie play-callers.

With that in mind, where do you suppose Dave Canales fits in the class of 2023?

Probably higher than you expected.

Of the 16 new coordinators, only nine have seen an increase in their team’s scoring average from 2022. Canales is on that list. Of the 16 coordinators, only eight have seen a reduction in their turnovers from last season. Canales is on that list, too.

None of this will get him a guest spot on a national pregame show, but it does suggest that the overhaul of an offense can be a tricky thing.

Consider the case of Bill O’Brien. He’s been a head coach in the NFL and at Penn State. He was Tom Brady’s offensive coordinator in 2011, and Bryce Young’s coordinator at Alabama last season. And that hefty resume hasn’t helped him at all in New England this season. Quarterback Mac Jones is having his worst season as a pro, and the Patriots have gone from 21.4 points a game in 2022 to 14.1 points.

Or how about Matt Nagy? He was the offensive coordinator when the Chiefs won a division title in 2017, and then he went off to Chicago to become a head coach. He’s back in Kansas City as the coordinator again and, even with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, the Chiefs have gone from an average of 29.2 points to 23.1.

The point is that playbooks do not come with a money-back guarantee.

There are too many variables in every situation to realistically expect instant success. Maybe the offensive line is beat up. Maybe the new quarterback is slow to learn. Maybe a weak defense means a team is constantly playing from behind.

Or maybe, like in Tampa Bay’s case, the head coach seems to prefer ball control and field position to no risk it/no biscuit.

Whatever the circumstances, it’s possible we’ve all been too critical of Canales’ first two months in Tampa Bay. Yes, the Bucs are still near the bottom of the league in scoring. And, yes, the running game still qualifies as a community embarrassment.

But with a revamped offensive line and a vagabond quarterback in the huddle, the Bucs have begun showing signs of improvement. It’s not just the 57 points scored the past two weeks — which is Tampa Bay’s best two-game stretch since the end of the 2021 season — but it’s also the adjustments along the way.

The running game struggles have been offset by getting Rachaad White outside the hash marks in the passing game. And, after five consecutive games with the majority of passes thrown to receivers not named Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Bucs targeted their top playmakers on 16 of 29 passes against Tennessee.

Accordingly, the Bucs had 10 plays of 15 yards or more against the Titans.

“It speaks to protection. It speaks to the guys up front, and our skill guys making plays down the field,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “The first play of the game, it was kind of a quick-game play and they changed the coverage and Chris gets the ball for an explosive [play]. We always aim for 10-plus explosives each game, so that’s a big thing for us to be able to do that to keep those guys off-balance, keep moving the chains and resetting downs.”

The Bucs obviously need to do better. Averaging 19.8 points per game is not going to get you to the Super Bowl. It rarely even gets you in the playoffs. There have been 282 playoff teams since 2000, and only 5.6% (a total of 16) averaged 19.8 points or less per game, including the 2022 Bucs.

The offense is better than it was last year, and better than it was last month. It’s not creating headlines around the NFL, but it is moving in the right direction. Even if it’s only a few yards at a time.

“Just trust the process,” Mayfield said. “Trust the system that things are going to come.”

Boys Golf

CLASS 1A STATE FINALS

At Mission Inn-El Campeon Course

Team scores after Day 1 (top 2 & locals):

1.  Benjamin 298

2.  Episcopal 301

2. The First Academy 301

5. Lake Mary Prep 303

10. Lake Highland Prep 312

13. Circle Christian 320

Top individuals after Day 1 (first place & top 10 locals):

1.  Alexander Weinberg (Pine Crest) 67

3. Mingbo Jiang (TFA) 71

7. Palmer Haynes (TFA) 73

11. Barry Zhang (Lake Mary Prep) 74

11. Casper Chopra (LHP) 74

19. Jeff Tian (Lake Mary Prep) 75

25. Qi Liu (Lake Mary Prep) 76

32. Wilson Stringer (TFA) 77

36. Christian Koehn (LHP) 78

36. Jonathan McLeroy (Circle Christian) 78

36. Joshua Castellanos (Circle Christian) 78

36. Kobe Zhang (Lake Mary Prep) 78

36. Kylan Johnson (Circle Christian) 78

Girls Golf

CLASS 1A STATE FINALS

At Mission Inn-Las Colinas Course

Team scores after Day 1 (top 8 with locals):

1.  FAU 282

2.  The First Academy 291

3.  Sagemont Prep 296

4.  Windermere Prep 297

5.  Lake Mary Prep 298

6.  Circle Christian 306

7.  Brevard HEAT 311

8.  SLAM Academy 314

Top individuals after Day 1 (first place & top 10 locals):

1.  Mi Li (TFA) 66

2.  Victoria Renzi (Montverde Academy) 67

3.  Ava Zhang (Windermere Prep) 68

7.  Nancy Dai (Lake Mary Prep) 70

7.  Isabella Dovhey (Circle Christian) 70

15.  Angelina Pacheco (Circle Christian) 73

19. Sophia Hong (TFA) 74

19.  Angela Wang (TFA) 74

26. McKenna Murphy (Lake Mary Prep) 75

26. Xiyao Zhang (Windermere Prep) 75

31. Tatiana Ang (Lake Mary Prep) 76

31. Yetong Qian (Windermere Prep) 76

Boys Soccer

Bishop Moore 6, Windermere Prep 1 

Buzz: Roman Barbieri, Jace Overturf, John Gardner, Marco Acevedo, David Quintero and Diego Oliver scored goals for the Hornets (3-1).

Timber Creek 2, Celebration 1

Buzz: Finnegan Hurley and Grayson Wright scored the goals for Timber Creek.

Other scores:

First Academy-Leesburg 3, Trinity Christian Academy 0

University (Orlando) 2, Master’s Academy 0

East Ridge 4, Lake Minneola 0

Circle Christian 1, Legacy Charter 0

Horizon 8, Oak Ridge 0

Mount Dora Christian Academy 3, Umatilla 2

Gateway 5, Lak Buena Vista 1

East River 2, Palm Bay 1

Lake Nona 8, Colonial 1

Windermere 3, Freedom 2

Girls Soccer

Tohopekaliga 6, Orangewood Christian 3

Buzz: Giselle Tapia led Tohopekaliga with 3 goals, while Natalie Ocampo added 2.

The Geneva School 8, Foundation Academy 0

Buzz: Chaley Covelli and Emma Keyes each scored 2 goals for Geneva.

Lake Mary 8, Seminole 0

Buzz: Myah Bonnett and Ava McKay each had hat tricks for the Rams (3-0). Laura Walker posted the shutout.

Other scores: 

The First Academy 1, Trinity Prep 0

St. Cloud 8, Osceola Kissimmee 0

The Villages Charter 8, Tavares 0

Cypress Creek 2, Lake Buena Vista 1

Orange University 4, Pine Ridge 1

Boone 11, Liberty 0

Mount Dora 3, Eustis 0

East Ridge 8, South Lake 0

Lake Mary 8, Seminole 0

West Orange 2, Timber Creek 1

Mount Dora Christian Academy 2, Umatilla 0

Freedom 8, Gateway 0

Winter Park 3, Apopka 0

Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.

Colton Parayko and Kasperi Kapanen also scored for the Blues (8-5-1), who have won three straight.

“There wasn’t a lot going on in the game in the first period,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “From a defensive standpoint, checking standpoint we were pretty solid, disciplined, staying out of the box. We did a good job of finishing on some plays and scoring and then staying with it.”

Binnington earned his first shutout of the season and the 13th of his career.

“It’s a team that you’re proud to be a part of,” Binnington said. “It’s a month or two of working hard and buying in. It’s nice to see some results come our way. We’re just staying patient and playing together and trusting the system and we’re getting rewarded.”

Jonas Johansson stopped 24 shots for Tampa Bay (6-6-4), which dropped its third straight.

“We had a good start and then we started giving up chances,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. “The second period was an even period and then we gave up two in less than a minute so, just breakdowns. It wasn’t like we were dominated. It was an even match. We just gave up way too much.”

The Lightning were shutout for the second game in a row.

“People are going to look and say we’ve been shutout the last couple of games,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “The problem is, it’s not our offense. We’re giving up gifts, and we’re having good stretches in the game. That’s been the story this year. It’s just giving up those easy ones. Guys are getting discouraged and then they’re fighting it a bit, so that kind of hurts the mojo of your team.”

Kapanen scored his third goal of the season into an empty net with 3:58 remaining and Kyrou scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the season with 42 seconds remaining to seal the win for St. Louis.

Kyrou took an outlet pass from Torey Krug and skated in to score on a backhand shot, and Vrana scored his second of the season on a feed from Krug 19 seconds later to give St. Louis a 3-0 lead with 3:24 remaining in the second period.

“It’s just a chemistry play with [Kyrou],” Krug said. “We’ve talked over the years. If he sees that I get the puck in transition, he can take off and I’ll try to get it to him. Obviously he saw open ice and he made a great move on the breakaway. The other goal, you’ve got to give Vrana a lot of credit because I don’t think there’s many guys in the league that score off that pass with his release.”

Thomas, the Blues’ leading scorer, has registered at least one point in seven straight games with five goals and six assists.

Despite finishing with seven double-digit scorers, Orlando (5-5) let Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie (29 points), Mikal Bridges (21) and Cameron Johnson (20) combine for 70 points as they lifted the Nets to a 124-104 victory.

“We talk about not beating ourselves … 16 turnovers for 27 points is not going to get the job done,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after the loss. “That’s just a very simple fact. You’re not giving yourself a chance there.”

The Magic have a quick turnaround as the team travels overnight to Chicago for the second of a back-to-back Wednesday against the Bulls at United Center (Bally Sports Florida, 8).

Starting 5

With Markelle Fultz (left knee tendinitis) out for the second game in a row, Mosley turned once again to rookie Anthony Black, who joined Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Goga Bitadze to open the game.

The first group failed to find its shot early (0 of 5 from 3 in the first quarter) but got things rolling offensively after recording 6 turnovers in the opening 12 minutes.

Wagner, who hit a half-court heave as the first quarter came to a close, finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists but only scored 4 points in the final frame.

Banchero missed his first 3-point attempt but shot 4 of 7 from distance. Inside the arc however, he wasn’t as accurate in shooting 2 of 8 to total 19 points.

After diving for a loose ball in the third quarter and colliding with Johnson, Suggs quickly left the game holding his right arm. Suggs (10 points) was able to return late in the quarter after being tended to on the bench.

“He’s a tough kid,” Mosley said. “He [was] still fighting through screens, bumping off guys. I think he’ll be OK.”

Bitadze scored 5 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and only missed one shot (a 3).

Second Unit

As veteran Gary Harris (right groin strain) sat for a fifth straight game, it was Joe Ingles who provided the 3-point shooting.

Ingles gave an instant boost off the bench, hitting three 3-pointer in the first half. But after scoring 11 (4 of 4) before the break, he didn’t attempt another shot.

He joined Moe Wagner, Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac and Caleb Houstan as Mosley used a 10-man rotation before halftime.

Moe Wagner continued to be a reliable scorer diving to the rim off pick-and-rolls while shooting efficiently from the free throw line (5 of 6) to finish with 11 points.

Anthony (10 points) recorded 3 turnovers in the first half but scored 5 points in the third quarter after Suggs went to the bench.

Houstan only saw two minutes of action midway in the second quarter before returning late in the game once the final result was clear.

Rookie Watch

Black recorded two fouls in the first quarter and struggled to find shot (0 of 3 from 3) in first three frames. He went to bench with 4:11 left in the third and didn’t return until late in the fourth with the game well out of reach.

Although Mosley cleared his bench in the final minute, Jett Howard actually made an appearance with 4:22 remaining and the Magic down 15.

Mosley said he was hoping Howard could provide some spacing on offense.

Similar to Black’s inaccurate night, Howard went 0 of 4 from beyond the arc.

Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.