When the Magic traveled to Utah in late-December, Orlando needed a game-winning layup from Desmond Bane in the final moments of overtime to escape with a one-point win at Delta Center.
On Saturday night at Kia Center, however, Jamahl Mosley‘s squad needed to make a major comeback to capture a three-point win against the visiting Jazz, who led by as many as 17 points in the first half.
Paolo Banchero (23 points), Desmond Bane (22) and Anthony Black (21) combined for 66 points when Orlando overcame yet another double-digit deficit en route to a 120-117 victory in front of a sold-out crowd.
“The second half was much better than the first,” Mosley said. “I thought we tried to exchange baskets too much early on (and) got into the sprint game, the rat race, with them and they put up 35 and 30 in those first two quarters.
“That wasn’t who we are and who we needed to be,” he added. “But in that second half we were able to sit down and guard a little bit better.”
Knocking down three 3-pointers, backup center Moe Wagner added 13 points off the bench. Jalen Suggs (12) tied the game at 115 with two minutes remaining with a 3 of his own and later put the game on ice with a pair of free throws with 8.7 seconds left.
Three-time All-Defensive center Jaren Jackson Jr. made his debut for the Jazz after he was traded from Memphis, and he, along with 7-footer Lauri Markkanen (27 points), caused all sorts of problems for Orlando while notching 22 points in 25 minutes. Neither them nor majority of Utah’s starters played in the fourth quarter.
The Jazz (16-37) faced little to no resistance near the rim when it outscored Orlando 58-40 in the paint.
“It was our energy and effort that turned the game,” Bane said. “Once we got some stops it kind of opened the game up for us.”
The Magic (27-24) remain at home when they host the Bucks on Sunday at Kia Center on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.
Banchero’s impact
Banchero made his first four free throws and ended 9 for 12 at the charity stripe, which led all scorers.
The Magic forward attacked the paint and found his spots on the floor while distributing the ball early and often. Although he grabbed seven rebounds with eight assists, he struggled from distance where he shot 2 for 7.
Saturday’s game marked the 15th time this season and 70th contest in his career in which Banchero has tallied 20-plus points, five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in the same game. That career total is the third-most in franchise history.
Second-quarter struggle
The Magic led by three points following the first quarter but found themselves down 11 at the half.
That’s because Utah outscored Orlando 35-21 in the second quarter.
In that 12-minute stretch, the Jazz held the Magic to 1-for-11 shooting from 3-point range while scoring 22 points in the paint on the other end.
“I didn’t love them,” Mosley said about the team’s looks from distance. “I did not. There was a bunch of times we had open breaks, advantage breaks, and we settled.”
Carter’s debut delayed
New Magic guard Jevon Carter will have to wait at least one more game to see the Kia Center court.
Although he was available to play, the 6-foot-1 guard didn’t.
Rookie watch
The first player off the Magic bench for a second game in a row, first-round pick Jase Richardson hit a wide-open triple from the top of the key late in the first quarter.
Despite picking up two fouls in his first five minutes on the floor, Richardson ended with five points and two assists in 14 minutes.
Second-round pick Noah Penda saw five minutes of first half action and played 10 total. The French forward scored four straight points near the end of the third quarter to finish with six and two rebounds.
Magic host summit
The Magic hosted their “Black Business Summit” on Thursday in a “celebration the resilience, innovation, and leadership within the Black business community,” the team said.
The summit, which brought together prominent African-American entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders and corporate executives in Orlando, featured “impactful conversations, networking, and insights with influential leaders, while honoring the 100th anniversary of Black History Month,” according to the team.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com