Magic improve to 3-0 in Emirates NBA Cup Tourney with 123-100 drubbing of Brooklyn

Brooklyn, NY – The Orlando Magic dominated the Brooklyn Nets, 123-100, at Barclays Center on Friday night. The win improved the Magic’s record to 3-0 in the Emirates NBA Cup Tournament.

Coming off a 10-1 streak, during which they remained undefeated at the Kia Center in Orlando, the Magic continued their strong form against Brooklyn.

The Nets entered the matchup on the heels of an impressive three-game West Coast winning streak, with victories over Sacramento, Golden State, and Phoenix. However, they were missing several key players, which proved costly against Orlando. Dennis Schroder was unavailable due to personal reasons, while Cam Thomas (hamstring), Bogdan Bogdanović (foot), and others were sidelined.

The game began evenly, with both teams on fire from deep, shooting over 50% from three-point range.

Orlando pulled ahead early, building a 10-point lead in the first quarter. The Nets responded with a 9-0 run in the second quarter to narrow the gap, but the Magic held firm, entering halftime with a 61-49 advantage.

The third quarter turned into a nightmare for Brooklyn. Orlando ramped up defensive pressure, forcing repeated turnovers, which led to easy points. The Magic outscored the Nets 35-22 in the quarter, capitalized by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who shot 2-for-3 from three-point range and scored nine points during the period.

By the fourth quarter, the game was effectively decided. Orlando stretched their lead to as much as 28 points before coasting to the final 123-100 scoreline.

Franz Wagner continued his stellar play, finishing with 29 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds. Caldwell-Pope added 19 points, while Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. chipped in 12 points each from the starting lineup.

From the bench, Tristan da Silva contributed 13 points, while Jonathan Isaac and Jett Howard added eight points apiece. Goga Bitadze made a significant defensive impact with eight points and five blocked shots.

For the Nets, Shake Milton provided a bright spot off the bench, leading the team with 22 points. However, the Nets’ 20 turnovers, which led to 34 Magic points, ultimately doomed their chances.

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley was pleased with he squads teamwork and stepping up for each other.

That’s the beauty and the great part about this team.” Said Mosley “Whatever these guys are asked to do, they step in and do it. They step up when bodies are down, right? They’re lifting their teammates up, no matter what’s going on.

And I think this is the that’s the beauty of this group and they just continue to pull for one another and he is fantastic in that realm, just doing whatever’s asked of him on, you know, in each game.”

The Magic remain in Brooklyn for a rematch against the Nets on Sunday, December 1st. They’ll then face the New York Knicks—also 3-0 in their group—in the NBA Group Play final, setting up an exciting showdown.