Beede’s Breakdown: Magic overpower Knicks without coach Mosley in 2nd half

The Magic entered Saturday’s contest against the Knicks already knowing they’d be without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero.

What Orlando didn’t know is that it would also be without coach Jamahl Mosley for the second half of the game.

Mosley didn’t return to the sidelines to begin the third quarter due to what the team called an illness and instead assistant coach Joe Prunty stepped in as acting head coach the rest of the night.

That didn’t slow down the Magic when Franz Wagner (37 points), Desmond Bane (27) and Jalen Suggs (26) combined to score 90 points in a 133-121 victory over New York inside Kia Center.

It marked the first time three Magic players scored 25-plus points in the same game since April 5, 2019.

Although the Knicks (9-6) had five different scorers finish in double figures, including two-time All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson (33 points), Orlando outscored New York 64-46 in the paint.

Both sides turned the ball over plenty when Orlando scored 18 points off 17 takeaways and New York 14 off 14 Magic turnovers.

After going 3-0 during their three-game homestand, the Magic (10-7) head to Boston on the second night of a back-to-back Sunday to begin a three-game road trip.

Wagner at one point scored seven in a row to power a 12-point first quarter before he posted 23 in the opening half. It marked the 11th time in his career he’s scored 20-plus in the first half of a game.

The German forward scored in the paint and from the perimeter while fighting his way to the free throw line where he shot 7 for 7 before the break.

And he didn’t slow down in the second half. Wagner reached 30-plus points for the 26th time in his career to go with 6 rebounds and 7 assists. His fourth triple of the night put Orlando ahead by 10 points, 114-104, with 7:39 left in the game.

Bane also made his first five shots from the charity stripe when he pieced together a 15-point first half. Bane added a trio of triples to go with 3 rebounds and 5 assists in 32 minutes.

Wendell Carter Jr. found himself in foul trouble when he picked up his third foul early in the second quarter. He picked up his fifth foul at the 9:39 mark of the fourth quarter, fouled out with 3:12 left and ended with a pair of 3-pointers for 11 points.

Meanwhile, Suggs struggled from distance (1 for 4) but found other ways to score closer to the basket. The Orlando guard often fired up the Kia Center crowd by diving for loose balls and defending at a high level.

Tristan da Silva (4 points) had a quiet night when he was scoreless in the first half.

Although New York’s bench outscored Orlando’s 40-28, the Magic had help from key reserves.

That included Anthony Black, who dished out 4 assists with 11 points.

Backup center Goga Bitadze and forward Jonathan Isaac both racked up 7 rebounds and 6 points apiece while Jett Howard added 5 points in 8 minutes.

Although Banchero missed his fifth consecutive contest Saturday, he is slowly and surely making progress.

Mosley said before the game the Magic star is still doing non-contact work but he has been able to “get a little bit more cardio in.”

Typically, full contact is the precursor to an injured player’s return to game action.

Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]