Magic run past Bulls in Wendell Carter's return

ORLANDO, Fla. — It seemingly hasn’t mattered who’s been on the floor for the Magic in the near month since Paolo Banchero was sidelined with a torn right abdominal muscle Oct. 30 at Chicago‘s United Center.

But Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley more than welcomed getting Wendell Carter Jr. back (who missed last 12 games with left foot plantar fasciitis) and Jalen Suggs (who sat Monday night at Charlotte due to a left hamstring strain) when Orlando hosted the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

Facing Chicago (8-12) for the first time since Banchero’s injury, the Magic led the entire night and by as many as 27 points in the 133-119 victory that marked their fourth in a row and improved to 9-0 at home.

The Magic (13-7) hope to bring some of that success on the road when they head to Brooklyn on Friday for an NBA Cup contest to open a 5-game trip in the Northeast.

Starting 5

A new one for Orlando and its seventh of the season — Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Carter and Goga Bitadze.

There was some intrigue as to which center Mosley would start after Bitadze filled in for Carter the last 12 contests, but ultimately the Magic coach went with both bigs to maximize size on the court.

Suggs buried four triples and didn’t miss a free throw (7 of 7) when recorded a career-high 31 points to go alongside Franz Wagner’s 21 points and six assists.

Wagner led the charge on offense with 11 first-quarter points which powered a season-high 38 for Orlando in the first frame.

Carter’s return

At shootaround Wednesday morning, Mosley said Carter would be limited to a range of 14-16 minutes.

In his first game back since Nov. 3, the Magic center played above that restriction (18 minutes total) when he racked up four points, four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal against his former team.

When he shared the floor with Bitadze, it was Carter who mainly remained on the perimeter while Bitadze spent his time mostly in the paint on offense.

Although Carter missed all three of his 3-point attempts, he provided a defensive presence on the other end and looked comfortable on the court.

Threes galore

The Magic have been insistent in saying they’ve liked the looks they’ve gotten from distance this season, no matter how many long-range shots Orlando has missed.

The group entered Wednesday shooting a league-low 30.6% from beyond the arc. But the first half provided a glimpse at what Orlando can accomplish when long-range shots do fall.

The Magic shot 10 of 21 (47.6%) from three before the break, leading to a season-high 73 points for any half. They finished the contest at 15 of 39 (38.5%) from distance.

Caldwell-Pope pieced together his best offensive performance in a Magic jersey when he made four of those triples to total a season-high 15 points before halftime. He added two more threes and totaled 24 points.

Rookie watch

Tristan da Silva was bumped from Orlando’s starting lineup with Carter back, but the No. 18 pick remained in the rotation.

The rookie had made 13 consecutive starts, but joined Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac, Moe Wagner, and Cole Anthony as first five off the bench vs. Chicago.

Da Silva sunk a three from the left wing late in the first quarter before totaling eight points with three rebounds. His second triple put Orlando up by 22 points late in the fourth quarter.

Gary Harris, who suffered a left hamstring strain in the first quarter of Monday’s game at Charlotte, was not available Wednesday.

Up next …

Magic vs. Nets

When: 7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, Barclays Center

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