The Orlando Magic pulled off a surprise win at the Minnesota Timberwolves. Thanks in part to another strong performance by Tristan da Silva, the Magic prevailed 119-92 in the far north against the hottest team in the NBA.
It was a strong performance by the Orlando Magic, who controlled the game in Minnesota for long stretches after a slow start. Franz Wagner was still out with his ankle injury, but Tristan da Silva came off the bench to deliver a bit of everything in 31 minutes, finishing the game with 11 points (5/11 FG), seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. His national team colleague Moritz Wagner contributed seven points (1/6 FG) and seven rebounds in 17 minutes to the victory. For the Wolves, it was too often a one-man show from Anthony Edwards (34, 8/18 FG, 13/14 FT), who scored consistently but couldn’t do it all on his own. Donte DiVincenzo went scoreless in 28 minutes (0/6 FG), and forward Jaden McDaniels (1, 0/9) also failed to score.
Magic counter hot Edwards
At the start, it was mainly Edwards’ show. The All-Star scored 17 points in the first quarter, but despite this explosion, the hosts were unable to build up a real cushion. Instead, it was the Magic who turned the game around with a 16-0 run before the break.
Da Silva played well, finding his teammates time and time again. Banchero also repeatedly found gaps in the defense, compensating for the weak three-point percentage. Da Silva also played more because Anthony Black disappeared into the locker room after just a few minutes with back problems.
After the break, the lead even grew to 20 points before Edwards started getting to the free throw line more often. The guard didn’t score a field goal in the second quarter, but he slowly started to pick up again. However, the Magic did not allow a comeback, even though the Wolves were in the bonus for the last 8:20 minutes of the game. Minnesota took over 20 free throws after the break and hardly scored anything from the field, so Wolves coach Chris Finch took the starters off the court with 4:30 minutes left and the score at 88:108.
