Jalen Suggs returns from ankle injury but Magic drop close game to Grizzlies
The Orlando Magic’s backcourt got healthier Thursday, but that wasn’t enough for them to overcome the West-leading Memphis Grizzlies.
Despite second-year guard Jalen Suggs making his return from injury, the Magic (14-25) fell to the Grizzlies (25-13) at Amway Center, 123-115.
Suggs, sidelined since exiting the Nov. 25 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with right ankle soreness, missed the previous 19 games. But his return was limited to five minutes in the first quarter.
He was already on an undisclosed minutes restriction, but a teammate accidentally hit Suggs in the face during his lone stint.
“In line with the minutes restriction,” coach Jamahl Mosley responded when asked why Suggs didn’t return. “Didn’t want to give him too much.”
Suggs came off the bench in his first game in six weeks, with Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. being the starting lineup for the first time.
The Magic and Grizzlies, both playing on the second half of a back-to-back after victories Wednesday, came out sluggish. Both struggled to make good looks, leading to Memphis having a 22-20 lead at the end of the first.
The Grizzlies broke the game open in the second, outscoring the Magic 43-23 to take a 65-43 lead into halftime. Their largest lead was 25 in the middle of the third.
But the Magic slowly chipped away at the deficit to make the game close down the stretch.
Banchero and Terrence Ross (14 points off the bench) made a pair of 3s toward the end of the third to trim Memphis’ lead to 92-78 going into the fourth.
Fultz and Wagner flustered the Grizzlies defensively late in the fourth, leading to Fultz assisting Wagner on a pair of layups to cut the deficit to 116-108 with 3:03 remaining.
The Magic trimmed the Grizzlies’ lead to 6 but didn’t get any closer.
Carter fouled out contesting Ja Morant’s drive with the Magic down 120-114 with 1:21 remaining. Coach Jamahl Mosley challenge the foul call but it wasn’t overturned as Memphis cruised to its fifth consecutive victory from there.
“Our guys stayed resilient, they stayed within the fight,” Mosley said. “We gave ourselves a chance. Obviously, you don’t like being in that scenario early but that shows the fight and grit of our guys.”
Morant led the Grizzlies with 32 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 31 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Banchero had team-highs of 30 points and 9 rebounds. Wagner finished with 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting (8 of 10 on free throws) while Carter added 18 points and 7 rebounds.
The Magic will start their five-road trip against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Suggs fully participated in practices Monday and Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s home game vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Suggs wasn’t available vs. the Thunder, but Mosley hinted he would be soon.
Suggs responded “ASAP, I feel great.” when asked Tuesday if there was a timetable to return.
“ASAP” turned out to be against the Grizzlies.
Suggs, the No. 5 pick in the 2021 draft, has dealt with right ankle issues since last year.
He sat five games (Oct. 22-30) because of a sprained right ankle. He played in November’s first 12 games before sitting with ankle soreness.
Suggs had various right ankle ailments that sidelined him for 13 of the final 18 games last season. He had surgery to address a stress fracture early in the offseason, limiting how much he could participate in basketball activities.
“We did the surgery to take care of all the problems,” Suggs said. “It just kind of ended up coming back, so making sure the issues are put to rest and it’s not something we have to worry about anymore before it becomes a bigger issue.”
Bol Bol (health and safety protocols), R.J. Hampton (G League assignment), Kevon Harris (transferred to G League as part of his two-way contract), Jonathan Isaac (left knee injury recovery) and Chuma Okeke (left knee surgery) weren’t available.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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