Magic open NBA Cup with 114-89 rout of Hornets

ORLANDO, Fla. — The court inside Kia Center might have looked different than usual for Orlando‘s first NBA Cup group play matchup against the Hornets — it was light gray with a large gold trophy in the center and a blue outline — but the Magic‘s pathway to victory looked much the same Tuesday night as it did in their last two.

Missing Paolo Banchero (torn right abdominal muscle) and Wendell Carter Jr. (left foot plantar fasciitis), coach Jamahl Mosley’s squad won its third straight game at home, where it improved to 5-0 this season.

Riding a season-high 32 points from Franz Wagner, who didn’t play the fourth quarter on the first night of a back-to-back, the Magic used a 30-6 run in the second half to capture the 114-89 victory over the Hornets.

LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 35 points.

The 25-point win is an added bonus for Orlando, who’s part of East Group A in the league’s in-season tournament. Point differential is the second tiebreaker for groups in the NBA Cup.

The Magic (6-6) have a quick turnaround when they face the Pacers on Wednesday night at Kia Center, marking the third meeting in the first 13 games of the season between the East foes.

Starting 5

Mosley stuck with the same first group on the floor — Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (6 points), Tristan da Silva, Franz Wagner and Goga Bitadze (9) — as he had the last five games.

Suggs came out firing from 3 where he hit first two attempts and quickly racked up 13 first-quarter points. After he shot a combined 2 of 12 from 3 with just 12 points between the last two contests, Suggs went 3 of 4 from 3 with 17 in the first half alone against the Hornets (4-7).

He had a scare in the second quarter when he went down and grabbed his right foot after a collision. Clearly in pain, Suggs limped off the court around the 9-minute mark but was able to return a few minutes later. He didn’t score after halftime.

Wagner at one points scored 13 straight for the Magic in the second frame. It was his fifth straight game with 20-plus points.

No other starter, however, finished in double-digit scoring.

Second unit

Cole Anthony (6 points) was the fifth player off the bench alongside Anthony Black, Gary Harris, Jonathan Isaac and Moe Wagner for a second game in a row.

Moe Wagner led the bench in scoring with 18 points and Isaac was active with seven points, four rebounds and two steals.

Black found himself in foul trouble with three before the break, but he continued to find his spots on offense (8 points) to go with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Rookie watch

Da Silva (5 points) didn’t notch his first points until the third quarter, but he did so when he grabbed an offensive rebound in the paint off a missed Franz Wagner triple.

The No. 18 pick was still active elsewhere with six rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.