Playing in their fifth and final Summer League game in Las Vegas, the Magic were without second-year pros Jase Richardson and Noah Penda as well as two-way players Alex Morales and Colin Castleton against the Celtics on Saturday.
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Instead, TyTy Washington Jr., Lester Quinones, Philip Wheeler, Keon Johnson and Will Baker earned the start for Orlando coach D.J. Bakker at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center.
In a consolation matchup between two 3-1 squads that featured a fast pace of play and nine lead changes, the Magic pulled away late to earn their fourth consecutive win 103-97.
“I like that everybody stayed ready,” Bakker said. “We had a number of guys that hadn’t played yet, had a number of guys that didn’t start and then a couple didn’t play in the second half. So, those guys did a great job of maximizing the moment.
“But they’ve been doing that the last two weeks,” he added. “From practices to our scrimmages, they did a great job of staying ready, staying engaged and then all those guys got their numbers called, and I was super proud of them both to win the game but also to play well.”
Orlando trailed 48-45 at halftime but overpowered Boston in the final two quarters, outscoring the Celtics 58-49, largely thanks to Malik Reneau’s 19 second-half points.
The Magic pieced together a strong third quarter by getting out in transition and hitting open shots, two things they didn’t do in the first half. In the shorter 10-minute periods of the summer, the Magic outscored the Celtics 36-23 in the third, which included a 13-3 run, by shooting 72.2% from the field and 4-for-6 from distance.
“I liked our aggressiveness,” Reneau said about the Magic’s second-half approach. “The way we came out on that defensive end, we got some stops and (were) able to run out and get some easy baskets in transition.
“That helped us and got us going, especially in that second half. We just kept it from there.”
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Beyond Reneau’s scoring spree, Au’Diese Toney recorded 18 points, six rebounds and four steals off the bench for Orlando, while Baker notched 15 points and six rebounds. Phillip Wheeler added 10 points, including two clutch free throws.
Bakker turned to a number of players off the bench who had yet to see the floor in Las Vegas, including Ricky Council IV, Tre Holloman and Mike Sharavjamts. It was also Toney’s first time seeing action this summer.
Boston was also sitting key starters, including second-year guard Hugo Gonzalez, 2026 first-round pick Chris Cenac Jr. and second-rounder Dillon Mitchell. The Celtics were led by Caleb Grill’s 18 points and John Tonje’s 14, plus they got 11 points from Tucker DeVries.
As the Celtics made a run late, Council knocked down two key 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter for the Magic.
It was Reneau, however, who stole the show in the second half. The University of Miami product, who attended Montverde Academy in high school, made his first six shots from the floor, including two 3-pointers. He added three rebounds, a steal and one block in 19 minutes of action.
The 4-1 finish in Las Vegas is a turnaround for the Magic from a year ago. Orlando went 0-5 in Summer League last year.
“From the start of the summer, the way the coaches welcomed us in, the way the former players that were already here welcomed us in, it helped us out a lot,” Reneau said. “It kept us in the grind, kept us pushing every single day, and when everybody got their opportunity, everybody shined.”
With this edition of Summer League complete, the Magic will next report for training camp at the AdventHealth Training Center on Sept. 29.
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Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]