Magic Preseason Finale Torches DarkHorse's Under in 132-116 Rout

So much for deep-bench doldrums killing the scoreboard. The Magic throttled Cleveland 132-116 in their preseason finale, gleefully torching DarkHorse's under 229.5 call by nearly 20 points. Turns out those "suppressed offensive efficiency" lineups we worried about had zero trouble finding the basket—Orlando's reserves came out firing like they had something to prove, and the Cavaliers' vaunted dual-big defensive identity took the night off entirely.

The 248 combined points made a mockery of our thesis that missing Suggs, Bane, Black, and Isaac would grind this game into a slog. Instead, Orlando's next-men-up crew ran, gunned, and buried shots with preseason-finale abandon, while Cleveland's Mobley-Allen tandem did nothing to slow the pace or tighten the screws defensively. Maybe it was lackadaisical effort in a meaningless exhibition, maybe the Magic's depth is better than advertised, or maybe both teams just decided defense was optional on a Thursday night in October.

Either way, the under never had a chance. DarkHorse whiffed badly here—our reasoning was sound on paper, but the court had other ideas. Sometimes the bench mob shows up ready to party, and tonight Orlando's reserves brought the whole damn keg.