Sports

Beede’s Breakdown: Magic escape Heat late behind Wagner’s 32 in Banchero’s return

December 6, 2025

Story byJason Beede, Orlando SentinelSat, December 6, 2025 at 2:34 AM UTC·4 min readIn a matchup between Sunshine State foes that aim to push the pace on a nightly basis, it was the Magic who got the better of the Heat during the closing moments of Friday’s matchup inside a rowdy Kia Center. Orlando, who trailed by three points at the break, leaned on its defense in the second half and forced a stop on the final play of the game to end up on top 106-105 over Miami. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPlaying in his first game since Nov. 12, Paolo Banchero notched 9 points while Franz Wagner (32) and Jalen Suggs (22) did the heavy lifting on the offensive end of the floor in a contest that was tied 9 times and featured 10 lead changes. With the Magic leading the Heat by 1 point with 3.7 seconds left, Miami’s Bam Adebayo (24 points) missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to seal Orlando’s victory. Neither side took particular care of the ball when Orlando scored 19 points off 15 Miami turnovers and the Heat 10 off 10 takeaways. Orlando beat Miami by four points on opening night and the sides face each other three more times in the regular season. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAlthough the Magic (14-9) host the Heat (14-9) again on Tuesday in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, Orlando will first travel to New York for a Sunday matinee matchup against the Knicks. Welcome back BancheroThe All-Star forward returned to the starting lineup alongside Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. against the Heat. Banchero made his first 3 from the right wing and continued to help move the ball for Orlando when he added 3 assists and 5 rebounds. Prior to tip-off, Mosley declined to share the exact number of minutes Banchero would be limited to during Friday’s contest but did confirm earlier in the day he’d be on a minutes restriction. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPlaying mostly 4-5 minute stints throughout the night, Banchero totaled 20 minutes on the court. Rest of startersWagner got going in the second quarter with an 11-point frame and tacked on 10 more in the third to have 23 entering the fourth.

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He hit first triple in the final minute of the second frame and ended 4 for 9 from distance. He scored 30-plus points for the second time this season and 27th time in his career. Similarly, Suggs pieced together a big third quarter when he shot 3 for 3 from beyond the arc in the frame after starting 1 for 4 from distance.
A 15-point third quarter followed a 5-point first half. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNeither Bane nor Carter had much success on offense.
Bane finally hit from 3 early in the fourth after he started 0 for 6 from downtown, but the Magic guard still ended 2 for 16 from the floor for just 5 points in 33 minutes. Carter picked up his third foul at the 7:55 mark of the second quarter and later his fourth in the second half when he ended with 7 points and 7 rebounds in 28 minutes. Bench boostAfter starting the past 10 games in place of Banchero, second-year pro Tristan da Silva returned to Orlando’s second unit. Hitting a corner 3 in the first quarter, da Silva helped space the floor when he was joined by Anthony Black, Goga Bitadze, Tyus Jones and rookie Jase Richardson off the bench. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBlack (13 points) was the only member of the Magic to make it to the free throw line in the first 18 minutes of the game when he shot 6 for 6 at the charity stripe to post 8 points in the first half. Bitadze also posted 8 before the break when he slammed down three dunks, including two in the first frame.
But he too found himself in foul trouble earning his fifth less than three minutes in the fourth. Orlando’s bench outscored Miami’s 31-26 when Jones added 7 points in 16 minutes. Rookie watchAfter playing 16 minutes in the second half of Wednesday’s game against the Spurs, Richardson entered Friday’s contest much earlier almost halfway through the second quarter. AdvertisementAdvertise.

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Beede’s Breakdown: Magic escape Heat late behind Wagner’s 32 in Banchero’s return

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

Beede’s Breakdown: Magic escape Heat late behind Wagner’s 32 in Banchero’s return

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