MIAMI – The first half of Wednesday night’s season opener between the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat was all about a 48-minute slugfest.

The Florida rivals traded leads seventeen times in the first 24 minutes. Orlando led 58-54 at halftime.

Only one team showed up for the second half.

After a 25-minute break to honor Heat president Pat Riley and name the court in his honor, the Magic quickly spoiled the party. A 12-0 run powered a 39-18 third quarter and the Magic never looked back, cruising to a 116-97 victory.

“We knew the ceremony was at halftime, so we knew we would have more time to rest, stretch and do what we had to do,” forward Paolo Banchero said. “That whole time we were trying to keep the energy up, keep reminding ourselves that we have to start fast in the third quarter, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Banchero’s 33 point, 11 rebound double-double made him the first Magic player to score 30 or more points on opening night since Tracy McGrady in 2003. Only Shaquille O’Neal, with 42 points in 1993, scored more in a Magic opener . .

“There’s a reason why great players are great,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game. “The reason he’s great is because he’s humble, he works, he cares about his teammates and he doesn’t change who he is no matter what comes his way.”

Franz Wagner had 23 points, shot 10-of-16 from the field and made three of his six triples. Gary Harris scored 18 and made six 3-pointers in nine attempts. As a team, Orlando made 18 of its 49 three-point shots – a stark contrast to last year’s NBA record low of 31.3 attempts per game.

Orlando rebounded Miami with 15 points, limited turnovers and turned consecutive defensive stops into offense.

The Magic’s significant gap on the scoreboard left the bench empty for the final five minutes as fans in the Kaseya Center were already heading for the exits. Rookie swingman Tristan da Silva saw his first NBA action, logging five minutes and missing his only shot attempt.

Jonathan Isaac left the game in the fourth quarter after 11 minutes of playing time, stormed onto the field and headed to the locker room. He has a sore left hip, but Mosley said “he’s good” after the game.

The runaway victory was the Magic’s first opening night victory since 2003 and their first win in Miami since March 2019.

The Magic make their regular-season home debut Friday night at the Kia Center, hosting the Brooklyn Nets at 7:00 PM ET.

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