NBA: Jalen Suggs stuffs stat sheet as Magic snip Nets

Jalen Suggs registered his first career triple-double as the Orlando Magic opened a four-game homestand with a 118-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.

Suggs, in his fifth season with Orlando, finished with 15 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds, four blocks, and three steals in just 29 minutes. He exited the game with 7:51 remaining, with the Magic leading by 22.

Desmond Bane led the team with 23 points, while Paolo Banchero added 22. Orlando never trailed and led by as much as 26 points, snapping a two-game losing streak.

For Brooklyn, rookie Egor Dëmin scored a career-high 26 points, making six 3-pointers. Nolan Traore also matched his career high with 21 points. The Nets have now dropped nine straight games against Orlando and 10 of their last 11 overall.

The Magic jumped out to a 10-3 lead on Suggs’ fadeaway jumper with 9:00 left in the first quarter. Dëmin responded with five quick points for Brooklyn to keep it close.

Brooklyn went more than five minutes bridging the first and second quarters without a field goal. Orlando capitalized, with Bane scoring twice on drives to the basket to push the lead to 34-23. On the Nets’ next possession, Ziaire Williams received a technical foul for slapping the basket stanchion in frustration after a no-call on teammate Danny Wolf’s missed layup. Bane made the free throw with 8:33 left in the first half.

Orlando’s lead swelled to 21 points in the second quarter as Brooklyn struggled to shoot, hitting just 34.1% for the half. The Nets mounted a late 9-2 run to cut the deficit to 56-40 at halftime.

The Magic maintained control in the third quarter. Suggs had a steal and a 360-degree dunk at the 9:17 mark, extending the lead to 67-48. Bane added a fast-break basket to make it 88-65 by the end of the quarter.

With Orlando ahead 104-79 with six minutes remaining, Brooklyn put all five of its 2025 first-round picks—Dëmin (No. 8), Traore (No. 19), Drake Powell (No. 22), Ben Saraf (No. 26), and Wolf (No. 27)—on the floor together for the first time this season. They outscored the Magic 19-14 over the remainder of the game.

—Field Level Media/Reuters