Osceola Magic win in rare Kia Center appearance

Magic romp to big lead in 1st half, win 128-111 over Cleveland Charge

  • Alex Morales, added to the Orlando Magic roster as a two-way player last week, drives to the basket Friday in Osceola's 128-111 win over the Cleveland Charge at the Kia Center in Orlando. (Photo/Taylor McFee)
    Alex Morales, added to the Orlando Magic roster as a two-way player last week, drives to the basket Friday in Osceola's 128-111 win over the Cleveland Charge at the Kia Center in Orlando. (Photo/Taylor McFee)

    Thanks to rough weather in the Midwest this week, the Osceola Magic got to play on the Orlando Magic's floor at the Kia Center Friday.

    Osceola (17-6) took advantage of the opportunity, beating the Cleveland Charge (16-8), 128-111, to take back a share of the NBA G League Eastern Conference's top spot with the Greensboro Swarm.

    The game came about as Cleveland could not travel due to weather earlier in the week for a scheduled Wednesday game at the Silver Spurs Arena. That game was postponed, and the teams played their regularly-scheduled game Thursday, a Cleveland win. With Orlando in town Thursday and Saturday, it opened up the building to the schedule change, and to a little extra firepower, as Orlando 2025 first round draft picks Jase Richardson and Noah Penda were made available to Osceola Friday.

    And the nearly 2,000 fans, including at least one Orlando player in attendance (Anthony Black), who came out were treated to a 31-7 Osceola run to turn a five-point game into a 73-44 halftime lead. Richardson (22 points, nine assists) and Penda (13 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench) didn't disappoint.

    Phillip Wheeler also came off the bench to give a spark and lead the Magic with 24 points on 10-for-14 shooting (3-for-5 from three-point land).

    "We just come in every game to win," Wheeler said after the game. "Jase was doing his thing, moving the ball."

    All around, it was a fine Osceola performance. Lester Quinones kept his fine offensive form with 20 points, and Colin Castleton continued his return from a hand injury to collect 22 points and grab eight rebounds.

    “Really amazing and credit to the business operations staff for putting the whole thing together and getting all the fans here," Osceola Coach Dylan Murphy said of the scheduling quirk. "It was great energy and a really cool experience for our whole team. Really happy we were able to make this work. Given Cleveland’s travel it kind of happened by accident but a happy accident for sure.” 

    Osceola is now 6-0 in second games of back-to-backs this year.

    The Magic will be back in action on their own Silver Spurs Arena floor Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami Heat). It's part of a six-game, 12-day home stand that includes games Tuesday against Sioux Falls and March 8 and 10 against the Maine Celtics.