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Why Jamahl Mosley is happy with Magic bench

Originally posted on Orlando Magic on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Dec 2, 2025 3:00 PM ET

At the beginning of the season, the Orlando Magic bench was not playing up to standard, which led to a 1-4 start for the first five games.

In the 16 games to follow, the Magic are 12-4, headlined by a major comeback win against the Chicago Bulls, which saw several bench players play an extended role. Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley praised the second unit for getting the team back in the game.

“I think it started in the second half of that third quarter. You know, I got to give credit to our bench for coming in and playing the right way, defending, changing the energy of the game," Mosley said.

"I thought Noah (Penda) came in and gave us great minutes, Goga (Bitadze) came in and gave great minutes, Tyus (Jones) did a good job of getting guys involved. I really just – our bench did a great job of weathering the storm and getting the energy... one, from our guys on the floor, but also getting this crowd involved, because we definitely needed that tonight.”

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Magic getting contributions from bench

Desmond Bane, who scored a game-high 37 points, was also part of the lineup that brought the Magic back into the game. He led the second unit and gave flowers to some of his teammates.

“I mean, I think Goga (Bitadze) spearheaded it defensively; blocking shots. I mean, Tyus Jones setting the table, you know, kind of settling us down [and] getting us into what we get into," Bane said.

"I was talking with Arnie (Kander) before the game and a lot of those things that Tyus does might not show up on the stat sheet. You know, he’s the rock. He kind of steadies the ship and I thought that group that we had out there on the court [were] the ones that really changed the momentum, and we [were] able to ride that wave all the way until to the buzzer.”

If the Magic bench can continue playing at a high level, the team should be in great shape moving forward.

The Magic are back in action tomorrow against the San Antonio Spurs. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside the Kia Center.