ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, 115-93, marking their second loss to start the 2026-27 NBA season.

There were multiple contributing factors and moments in the Magic’s loss. Let’s identify some of them:

Early in the second half, Magic star forward Paolo Banchero went back to the locker room after appearing to tweak his ankle when he collided with Jalen Suggs attempting to secure a rebound.

At that point, Banchero was Orlando’s leading scorer with 14 points, and his exit produced palpable anxiety inside the Kia Center for Magic fans who have watched their favorite players experience injuries all too often in recent seasons.

But not long after, Banchero returned to the bench and subsequently to the floor to a chorus of cheers. His return was welcomed, but it did not make a difference in the outcome of the game, especially because he eventually made his way back to the bench for the remainder of the game.

After the game, Magic coach Sean Sweeney said Banchero was dealing with a sore ankle and that he would be evaluated.

During the preseason, Orlando was producing and converting on quality looks from 3-point range. 

Because of this, Sweeney has expressed his support for perimeter shots and emphasized before the game that there is no cap or expectation regarding how many of those shots should be taken.

However, the Magic relied too heavily on the deep ball on Friday.

Orlando hit only eight of its 39 3-point attempts, which equated to 20.5%. In Wednesday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Magic were also inefficient from beyond the arc, going 13-for-40 (32.5%). 

The looks Orlando was generating were not bad, but a failure to convert on catch-and-shoot opportunities became especially hurtful to the offense’s effort. 

Given how poorly the Timberwolves shot, the Magic had every opportunity to secure possessions and give themselves a chance to win, but rebounds proved too difficult to obtain.

Minnesota beat Orlando on the boards, 60-43. What made the disparity worse was that the Timberwolves notched 21 offensive rebounds to the Magic’s eight.

By the end of the game, Minnesota had only shot 42.9% from the field and 37.8% from 3-point range. Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves star guard who scored 45 points in a rout of the Miami Heat on Wednesday, only scored 15 points on Friday while shooting 5-for-23.

Yet, they led by as many as 26 points.

The Magic continuously afforded Minnesota second chances. While this was happening, the frustration was visible on the faces of Orlando’s starting five as they tried to get the deficit to a reasonable point.

"I think when you give up second chances, it is tough," Sweeney said. "And, you know, the turnover piece of it as well. So, yeah, I think, you know, there is a little bit of attrition when you do give up offensive rebounds, but in general, I thought the guys did a pretty good job in a number of areas, and now we've got to get better in some others."

The Magic's offense was not nearly as productive as it was on Wednesday, and a strong night by Wendell Carter Jr. (20 points, 8-for-9 FGA) did not fix their troubles.

Even with a defensive effort that forced Edwards to go cold and keep his teammates in check, Orlando beat itself by failing to secure rebounds and turning the ball over 16 times, which resulted in 16 points for the Timberwolves.

The challenges do not cease, either, as the Magic will go on the road to face the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors twice, with the second meeting against the latter kicking off Orlando's Emirates NBA Cup schedule.