2025-2026 Regular Season Game 2: Atlanta Hawks (0-1) at Orlando Magic (1-0) - 7pm ET

[KillMonger]

paolo got to shape up man, this isn't how you start the season....just straight trash game tonight....in general though.....we need to get in better shape, if we're committing to pace then you have to keep it up.....by the 3rd quarter we were jogging.....We got to get bane some better looks, more flares and pin downs......disappointed in the body language overall.....free throws and turnovers still a problem....this is a game we shouldn't have lost

[mattyBoi]

Bane 1-8 from three.

[Knightro]

Of the 87 regular season and playoff games the Magic played last year, zero were played faster than the pace in game 1 against Miami and only 9 were faster than tonight against Atlanta.

The commitment to playing with consistent pace is very real. But there are some downsides - heavier legs, increased turnovers, worse defense on a possession to possession basis - that are going to come and have already come with that while this group adjusts to this very new normal.

[T-Cat]

Until we get a coach to utilize Paolo Banchero's size in the post and not on the perimeter because he usually turnover prone trying to be a guard, we'll be a team to contend!

[GameOver25]

Forget coaches, role players, refs, etc. Paolo is the problem at the moment (yeah I know only game #2). Until he starts playing better, Tyus Jones defense, AB handles, coach Mosley challenges don't have the same level impact. Paolo needs to figure out how to get adjusted. He looks so out of sync, it's ridiculous.

[SOUL]

Until we get a coach to utilize Paolo Banchero's size in the post and not on the perimeter because he usually turnover prone trying to be a guard, we'll be a team to contend!

PAOLO HAS to use his size in the post!! This is what his game is right now!! The star guy being paid a max contract isn't being put in places he doesn't want to be.

[ibraheim718]

Nah an NBA coach needs to earn his paycheck in the final 2 minutes the other 46 minutes the players largely coach themselves out there. Suggs could've played another minute and it would've made a difference. Instead he sat at the scorers table watching Jones do nothing. That's on Mosley.

And he's not playing the best players, he knows it and deep down inside you all know it. Richardson plays winning basketball.. he can make things happen in all facets of the game. But instead we have to watch this rookie/hierarchy/politics/salary crap. Booooo Guaranteed he'll be a better NBA player than Black and Jones if he isn't already. There I said it.

[FFBlitzace]

And to lose the points in the paint stat despit Atlanta having no real interior defense is inexcusable. I guess it's fine if we were shooting well from outside, but that didn't happen.

Just very disappointing. Disappointing for individual players, primarily Paolo but not just him. And just disappointing as a team. Does this game pass the "vibe check"? Training camp apparently passed the vibe check, but who gives a flying ****.

It's a long season and it's one bad game (an extremely important game for the standings at the end of the season, but I digress) and we have to move on. That's a fact, I don't deny that. There will be ups and downs, it is what it is. But man, this is just an extremely disappointing game on a lot of levels, I don't know what else to say.

[magicfan217]

paolo got to shape up man, this isn't how you start the season....just straight trash game tonight....in general though.....we need to get in better shape, if we're committing to pace then you have to keep it up.....by the 3rd quarter we were jogging.....We got to get bane some better looks, more flares and pin downs......disappointed in the body language overall.....free throws and turnovers still a problem....this is a game we shouldn't have lost

Bane missed several completely wide open looks tonight.

[ibraheim718]

And to lose the points in the paint stat despit Atlanta having no real interior defense is inexcusable. I guess it's fine if we were shooting well from outside, but that didn't happen.

Just very disappointing. Disappointing for individual players, primarily Paolo but not just him. And just disappointing as a team. Does this game pass the "vibe check"? Training camp apparently passed the vibe check, but who gives a flying ****.

It's a long season and it's one bad game (an extremely important game for the standings at the end of the season, but I digress) and we have to move on. That's a fact, I don't deny that. There will be ups and downs, it is what it is. But man, this is just an extremely disappointing game on a lot of levels, I don't know what else to say.

They threw that one away. And the east is already going to be tight at the end of the year. It's a bad look for a team that wants to contend. They might just be feeling themselves too much and buying into all the hype. Not a good loss at all. I don't care if it's the second game of the year.

[djguevara114]

Man, anyone see Cole Anthony tonight? lol

Mosley has to go… Been saying it for a couple years now… He is a a good man, but only a “hoorah” coach… He doesn’t hold his players accountable and is an absolute joke when it comes to Xs and Os…

[thelead]

I'm still in shock with that Paolo 3... I still can't believe he decided to take a double-teamed fadeaway 3 with 10 on the clock, down 2...

[SHAQ32]

Of the 87 regular season and playoff games the Magic played last year, zero were played faster than the pace in game 1 against Miami and only 9 were faster than tonight against Atlanta.

The commitment to playing with consistent pace is very real. But there are some downsides - heavier legs, increased turnovers, worse defense on a possession to possession basis - that are going to come and have already come with that while this group adjusts to this very new normal.

Holy reach, Batman!

[Knightro]

Nah an NBA coach needs to earn his paycheck in the final 2 minutes the other 46 minutes the players largely coach themselves out there. Suggs could've played another minute and it would've made a difference. Instead he sat at the scorers table watching Jones do nothing. That's on Mosley.

And he's not playing the best players, he knows it and deep down inside you all know it. Richardson plays winning basketball.. he can make things happen in all facets of the game. But instead we have to watch this rookie/hierarchy/politics/salary crap. Booooo Guaranteed he'll be a better NBA player than Black and Jones if he isn't already. There I said it.

I get what you're saying, but at the same time you also know how these things work.

Tyus Jones signed a $7M deal this offseason. He's had two bad games, but they're certainly not going to pull the plug on him after two games.

[basketballRob]

Nah an NBA coach needs to earn his paycheck in the final 2 minutes the other 46 minutes the players largely coach themselves out there. Suggs could've played another minute and it would've made a difference. Instead he sat at the scorers table watching Jones do nothing. That's on Mosley.

And he's not playing the best players, he knows it and deep down inside you all know it. Richardson plays winning basketball.. he can make things happen in all facets of the game. But instead we have to watch this rookie/hierarchy/politics/salary crap. Booooo Guaranteed he'll be a better NBA player than Black and Jones if he isn't already. There I said it.

I get what you're saying, but at the same time you also know how these things work.

Tyus Jones signed a $7M deal this offseason. He's had two bad games, but they're certainly not going to pull the plug on him after two games.

He was also bad all preseason.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

[magicfan217]

Until we get a coach to utilize Paolo Banchero's size in the post and not on the perimeter because he usually turnover prone trying to be a guard, we'll be a team to contend!

PAOLO HAS to use his size in the post!! This is what his game is right now!! The star guy being paid a max contract isn't being put in places he doesn't want to be.

Franz posts up more than Paolo. He's such a physical player when he drives the ball but he's leaving so many easy points on the table by basically refusing to post up (or when he does post up he shoots a 1 foot fadeaway).

[Knightro]

Of the 87 regular season and playoff games the Magic played last year, zero were played faster than the pace in game 1 against Miami and only 9 were faster than tonight against Atlanta.

The commitment to playing with consistent pace is very real. But there are some downsides - heavier legs, increased turnovers, worse defense on a possession to possession basis - that are going to come and have already come with that while this group adjusts to this very new normal.

Holy reach, Batman!

It's completely factual though.

The Magic are playing *much* faster through two games than they did at any point in Mosley's tenure here.

And a few of the guys clearly have not fully adjusted to it quite yet.

If they're still having these same problems 10-15 games in, then we'll need to sound the alarms.

[magicfan217]

Nah an NBA coach needs to earn his paycheck in the final 2 minutes the other 46 minutes the players largely coach themselves out there. Suggs could've played another minute and it would've made a difference. Instead he sat at the scorers table watching Jones do nothing. That's on Mosley.

And he's not playing the best players, he knows it and deep down inside you all know it. Richardson plays winning basketball.. he can make things happen in all facets of the game. But instead we have to watch this rookie/hierarchy/politics/salary crap. Booooo Guaranteed he'll be a better NBA player than Black and Jones if he isn't already. There I said it.

I get what you're saying, but at the same time you also know how these things work.

Tyus Jones signed a $7M deal this offseason. He's had two bad games, but they're certainly not going to pull the plug on him after two games.

He's going to continue to be a liability if he doesn't handle the ball and play a more traditional PG role.

[RookieStar]

Cole : Tyus Jones over me????!!!!!

[dsg2021]

Post-game thoughts:

- This one was a shame. I don't mean to disrespect ATL, but they have a very new roster, with two big players out tonight. We FAFO'ed on this one.
It was dumb FT misses, dumb TO's (TO's from passes I am okay with, but TO's from self..), and most importantly, this hot shooting that was 55%+ in the 1st half, cooling down to 44% in 3rd and then a frigid cold 30-something % in the 4th quarter. We should have been more disciplined to create a larger lead cushion in the 2nd half. For the investment we put in to win the MIA game, just to lose this one, was dumb.

- Paolo was the captain of hard-throwing the game, especially on the strange "shoot a deep 3" with 10 seconds left in the game and shot clock. And I think the matchup tonight was very good for putting his head down and just living with a game that was mostly drives or very short midrange/postups tonight.

- What did it cost to involve Franz Wagner more in the 4th? The only true star player for us tonight. We didn't shy away from giving Franz the ball more in the 4th quarter of his strongest Playoffs games, we shouldn't have here. It was time for Mosely to say.. "the play calls are for Franz".

- The idea of a "win now" mentality this season was not here at all tonight, especially by the Coaching Staff. I have to ask Mosely, are we still in a development year? Are we really two games in a row not really using the Coach's Challenge? We had like 3 super easy Coach's Challenges in the 1st half of the MIA game. And probably 1 or 2 in this game before the 4th quarter. I was with envy to see Snyder use his Challenge in like the 1st quarter, win it, and keep it for later again.

- At this very early point of the season, I didn't really understand the Coaches not using Tyus as a dedicated backup 1 in the possessions where a star player didn't quarterback the possession. To be specific, AB was point guarding a ton of possessions with Tyus Jones on the floor. That's like buying a Corvette (Tyus), and driving it in a straight line only (stand in the corner 3).

- Two straight games of Goga going for 0-1 on 3's. After not being close on any 3's in the Preseason.

- Threw away a Vest for Franz. And the Cummerbund and Mittens for some combo of TDS, WCJ, and Suggs. Same strong performers from Game 1.