LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Forward Noah Penda, playing in the Summer League for a second year, scored 23 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, had 2 steals and blocked 3 shots, but the Orlando Magic lost to the Charlotte Hornets in their 2026 NBA Summer League opener on Thursday night.
The Magic took a 43-37 lead into halftime, but the Hornets outscored Orlando 25-15 in the third quarter to take the lead. That trend also dogged the Magic in the 2025-26 regular season in games in which they struggled.
Orlando’s Penda and Jase Richardson, who saw minutes last season, started and played about 30 minutes each, but none of the other players on their Summer League team saw more than spot appearances for the Magic in the regular season. Four of the five Hornets’ Summer League starters — Liam McNeeley, Tidjane Salaun, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Sion James — played minutes in the regular season.
Penda shot 9-for-15 overall and 5-for-10 from 3-point range for Orlando. Point guard Richardson added 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, and second-round draft pick Izaiyah Nelson, selected No. 51 overall, had 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 blocked shot and a steal in about 15 minutes. Nelson, who was a standout at USF last season, signed a two-way contract and will split time between the NBA’s Magic and their G League team, the Osceola Magic.
McNeeley led the Hornets with 28 points and 7-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, and rookie Hannes Steinbach, selected No. 14 overall in June’s NBA Draft, had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in nearly 22 minutes.
Orlando’s next Summer League game is at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against the Miami Heat.