The Orlando Magic’s White Team put together a solid performance on both ends as they picked up a win in their first Summer League game.
The Orlando Magic’s secondary Summer League team opened up play with a solid 87-76 win over Stanley Johnson and the Detroit Pistons.
The Magic’s White Team, comprised mostly of D-League recruits and prospects played strong defense and took control of the game in the third quarter thanks to solid play from point guard Keith Appling and an inside presence from forward Keith Benson.
Overall, the Magic could be nothing but happy with the way the team played energy wise and particularly on the defensive end. It really helped set up Orlando’s offense in many ways.
The Pistons shot just 37.0 percent from the floor and committed 14 turnovers. By my count, the Magic gave up a 87.9 defensive rating. That is solid defense, even for a sloppy Summer League game.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 76 | 87.9 | 43.8 | 21.6 | 14.8 | 23.3 |
| Orlando (White) | 87 | 105.6 | 52.2 | 20.7 | 13.6 | 27.9 |
Keith Appling led Orlando with 17 points, four assists and four steals (ignore the eight personal fouls). Keith Benson had 19 points off the bench on 9-for-15 shooting.
Individually, several player played well, but no one may have stood out enough to turn a lot of eyes. But the team played very well together. That is probably more what the Magic want to see from both teams in some ways as they implement new terminology and new plays with the new coaching staff.
Orlando also lost only one quarter, so they picked up seven of the possible eight points, really dominating the game. It looked like for a while the Pistons might be able to put something together in the second quarter as they spread the floor in Stan Van Gundy fashion and took advantage of the Magic’s over-aggressive nature.
Orlando re-committed on defense and did a good job knocking the Pistons off rhythm and taking them out of rhythm.
For Detroit, former Magic player Adonis Thomas had 17 points and first round pick Stanley Johnson scored 13 points off the bench.