Magic Bury 20 Threes in Memphis as Grizzlies' Preseason Opener Shows Both Sides
Orlando's 44% night from deep and a late edge on the glass decided a 122-118 preseason game in which Cam Boozer and a returning Zach Edey gave Memphis real encouragement.
Preseason scores are disposable; preseason patterns are not. The Orlando Magic beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-118 at FedExForum on Wednesday, and the pattern was unmistakable: both teams made exactly 41 field goals, but Orlando hit 20 of 45 threes (44%) to Memphis's 17, per Sofascore's recap.
How Orlando did it
The Magic opened with a barrage — 6-of-10 from deep in a 36-26 first quarter, building a lead that reached 18 points. Memphis chipped back to 64-61 by halftime and briefly took the lead in the third, but Orlando kept shooting and finished the job on the glass, winning rebounding 52-40 overall and taking the fourth-quarter offensive boards 6-1. Tristan da Silva led Orlando with 19 points, Jamal Cain added 15 off an efficient 6-of-9, Wendell Carter Jr. was a game-best +17 in about 15 minutes, and Paolo Banchero had 11 points and five assists.
What Memphis takes from it
The loss came with real positives. Cam Boozer put up 16 points and 6 rebounds in 22 minutes, getting to the line seven times, and Yahoo Sports' breakdown highlighted his scoring and playmaking both on and off the ball. GG Jackson II followed up a strong first preseason outing with 15 points and six rebounds — notable in the final year of his contract — and Ty Jerome managed 17 points and four assists without a turnover. Most encouraging of all: Zach Edey returned to game action for 10 minutes, with coach Tuomas Iisalo calling his progress the "best-case scenario."
The to-do list is equally clear. Memphis committed just seven turnovers to Orlando's 14 and still lost, because it conceded the three-point line and the glass — and when Edey was pulled to the perimeter, the rim went unprotected. Those are the fixable, structural details preseason exists to surface.