ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic had their rookies back on the floor and had a significant lineup change that helped them secure a 120-115 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday at Amway Center.
Jalen Suggs returned to the lineup after missing the previous 10 games because of a bone bruise in his right ankle.
Fellow rookie Franz Wagner also returned to the lineup after missing Sunday’s loss to the New York Knicks because of a sprained left ankle, but his time on the floor didn’t last long.
Wagner sprained his left ankle 7 minutes into the first quarter before being ruled out for the remainder of the game, finishing with two points and two assists. Sunday’s absence was Wagner’s first.
For the first time since returning from his torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late February, Markelle Fultz started, joining Suggs, Wagner, Chuma Okeke and Mo Bamba. Cole Anthony (sprained left toe) and Wendell Carter Jr. (sprained left wrist), who usually start, sat with injuries.
While the playing time of Fultz and Suggs was limited, their presence on the floor helped give the Magic (21-59) end their losing streak at six games.
Fultz finished with 16 points (8 of 12), six assists, two steals and two rebounds in a season-high 24 minutes, while Suggs had four points (2 of 5) and two assists in 18 minutes.
With Fultz and Suggs on minutes restrictions, the Magic leaned on the lineup of Okeke, Bamba, Ignas Brazdeikis, Devin Cannady and R.J. Hampton to secure the five-point win.
Brazdeikis had a season-high 20 points (8 of 16), including a put-back layup to give Orlando a 117-112 lead with 28.5 seconds remaining. Bamba finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and three assists.
Hampton and Cannady, both of whom scored 10 points off the bench, were among eight players to score 10-plus points.
The Cavaliers were led by Darius Garland’s 27 points (11 of 24), 10 assists and six rebounds.
With the Magic entering Tuesday tied for the league’s worst record, it would’ve been understandable — and some may have even expected — for Suggs and Wagner to sit for the remainder of the season.
But Magic coach Jamahl Mosley had been adamant that if players are healthy enough to play, they’ll be on the court.
“It’s huge for our guys to go through a full season,” Mosley said, “so when they’re doing those summer workouts and they’re going through drills, they understand exactly what it takes to get their bodies in a space where they can stay healthy for the year.”
Suggs, the No. 5 pick in last year’s draft, entered averaging 12.1 points (36.1% shooting), 4.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds.
He was sidelined for 20 games earlier in the season after fracturing his right thumb (shooting hand), limiting him to 46 games.
“What I’d like to see from him is more along the lines of poise and patience,” Mosley said of Suggs. “We talk about not trying to get it all back in one game. He can play with the same intensity because you don’t want a guy to be timid. You want him to go out there with the same intensity he’s had throughout the year, but also understand to let the game come to him.”
