The Orlando Magic trailed by 12 points as they began to break up their lineup and go into their rotation for their first game of the season.
The Miami Heat came out blazing from three and were able to break apart the Orlando Magic's defense. The team looked like it was still getting its feet under it and figuring out how to play together.
If Orlando was going to get back into the game, the team needed to find its footing.
As Franz Wagner rejoined the lineup to play with the team's bench group, as he has for the last two years, the team needed a spark.
Wagner was a big part of that. He is the star after all, scoring 19 of his 24 points in the first half to pace the Magic through a wild and high-scoring first half.
Orlando climbed back into the game by the end of the quarter to trail by one. An 11-0 run powered by some defensive grit, Franz Wagner's scoring and shooting from Anthony Black began to flip the game on its head.
The Magic took control once again thanks to the play from that bench group. The Magic once again leaned on one of its major superpowers -- its depth -- to get the win.
"We're trying to be one of the deepest teams in the league," Tristan da Silva said after shootaround Friday. "We have the talent, we have the players for it. We just have to make sure we stay solid and there is no drop off once we get into the rotation and get into substitutions."
Orlando ended the game with 31 points off the bench, getting 16, including three 3-pointers from Tristan da Silva. Both Black and da Silva played critical minutes down the stretch to ensure the win. As has been the case the last two years, the Magic's bench figures to play a key role.
It will again be critical for the Magic, even with more scoring in the starting lineup.
The ability for players like Tristan da Silva, Anthony Black, Tyus Jones and Goga Bitadze to contribute in their minutes will be key to the team taking this important next step.
Their big strength
The Orlando Magic have often extolled their depth. They see their bench as one of their great strengths.
Indeed, in the 2024 season, the Magic were fourth in the league averaging 41.5 points per game. Moe Wagner was one of the leading candidates to win Sixth Man of the Year that season.
Depth was a vital part of the team's formula throughout the 2025 season too.
Before Wagner's injury in December, the Magic were fifth in the league, averaging 40.1 points per game off the bench. The team's depth and its ability even to rely on quality minutes from two-way players like Trevelin Queen were a big part of why the Magic survived the injury to Paolo Banchero and the early period after Franz Wagner went down.
The bench figures to be vital again this year. And getting better contributions from young players like Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva will be important.
Da Silva continued to build off his strong EuroBasket, scoring 16 points and making three of his five 3-point attempts in the win on Wednesday against the Miami Heat. He looked confident and aggressive.
"I was just doing a good job being aggressive, taking on the role of somebody who makes plays and is willing to make plays and plays through mistakes a well," da Silva said after shootaround Friday. "Just taking shots when they are open, driving the ball when I can and being rock solid defensively."
Black did not have the same efficiency but was aggressive looking for his shot to get to his seven points.
Goga Bitadze had eight points and eight rebounds to anchor the team's scoring. He was active around the basket and provided solid defense.
Orlando got exactly what it wanted out of this trio. All three of those players were at least +11 in their time on the floor. They made a difference in the game.
"Sometimes teams come out shooting the lights out," Bitadze said after shootaround Friday. "The second unit has to step up. That's why you are there. When the first unit is not doing well, you have to try to get the game back. That's what we did. I just go out there and try to find what the first unit is not doing and not working for them and try to focus on that and do that stuff and get some energy and flow to the game."
The Magic should always have at least one of their four main scorers on the floor at all times. Franz Wagner often anchors these bench units. And those lineups not only helped the Magic close the gap to end the first quarter but also close the third quarter well.
The Magic's bench lineups have a big role to play.
Still questions to answer
But there are still a lot of questions to answer off the Magic's bench.
In all, the Magic's 31 points were just 22nd in the league through Thursday's games. There is still a bigger boost the team needs to get.
That will come when Moe Wagner makes his return. The team's bench scoring dropped dramatically after his injury -- going to just 33.3 points per game.
In many ways, the Magic's bench now, while involving more confident young players and leaning on more starters to fill in, is similar to the bench of last year rather than the group in 2024. Orlando will still need to clarify roles and gain consistency.
"I think we keep asking them for that," coach Jamahl Mosley said after shootaround Friday. "We show the positive of what they have done and how they responded to what we needed. And it's going to be the same thing each and every night. It will be a different person on any given night. That's what this group understands. When your number is called, you are ready to go."
The team is still finding the right rotations, particularly after veterans Tyus Jones and Jonathan Isaac struggled in the opening game.
Isaac played only 7:02 in the opening game, failing to score and posting a -6 plus/minus. Isaac is still struggling to make an impact on offense and settling into his role on defense. The Magic quickly abandoned him.
Jones struggled too in his first game in a Magic uniform, missing all four of his shots and totalling three assists against two turnovers. The Magic were -17 in his minutes and they had a 129.6 defensive rating with him on the floor.
The Magic's bench will still be a critical resource for the team and a necessity to their potential for success this season.
It worked for the Magic, all things considered, in the opener. They will need it to work for them again throughout the season.