The Orlando Magic delivered one of their most dominant outings of the season Tuesday night, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 144–103 in an NBA Cup matchup behind a career-best performance from third-year guard Anthony Black. The 21-year-old sparked Orlando’s offense from the moment he checked in, setting the tone for a wire-to-wire victory that kept the Magic unbeaten in East Group B play.
Black finished with 31 points, three assists, a rebound and a steal while shooting 12-for-17 from the field, 4-for-6 from three and 3-for-4 at the free-throw line across 28 minutes. He posted a team-high +31 off the bench and had already piled up 27 points by halftime, helping Orlando take an 86–60 lead into the break.
Black said his approach was rooted in decisiveness and confidence.
“I think just being aggressive, taking risks – I shot a couple of shots that I might get looked at sideways for but just being aggressive, taking risks, and trusting myself.”
He described the energy he played with and how that momentum carried through the roster.
“A lot of fun, you know, I feel like when I just get locked into the game and just having fun, talking, that’s when I play my best. And I think everybody else the same could go for them, it kinda raises our level, raises our intensity, so I think tonight was just a good job of us being tough and intense out there.”
Anthony Black cites team confidence fueling career-night in NBA Cup win vs. 76ers
Black also credited his teammates for fueling his rhythm.
“It’s love, these dudes instill confidence in me everyday – they see me put in the work and I see them so they’re my biggest fans and I’m their biggest fan. I appreciate just all that.”
Orlando’s 41-point win marked its highest scoring total of the season and its largest margin of victory. Black pointed to the way the Magic executed on both ends of the floor as a clear sign of their growth.
“Just that when we play the right way, we play with an intentionality how good we can be offensively and defensively,” he said of the win. “Just the fact that we can set the tone that way on the road against a good team is always good.”
He added that the offense has continued to evolve through improved ball movement and defensive pressure.
“I think we’re just moving the ball a lot more. The ball’s popping, dudes are playing off closeouts, dudes are getting open shots. Our defense has stepped up also which is allowing us to get transition looks that sparks our offense, our defense and just the energy on our team when we get down for layups and dunks.”
Now in his third NBA season, Black is averaging career highs with 12.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game on 48.9% shooting from the field and 34.8% from three across 19 appearances and four starts. He said he believes he still has more room to grow.
“I’m still trying to figure out – I feel like there’s more levels that I can tap into to see but it’s year three and the situation is what it is, but I think I can just impact the game on two sides. Yeah, I think I can do it.”
Jamahl Mosley emphasizes Black’s two-way aggression in Magic’s NBA Cup surge
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley praised Black’s two-way impact, highlighting the guard’s defensive effort against Philadelphia’s backcourt.
“I think you said it right there, his aggression. But what I’m most proud of is his ability to do it on both ends. He guarded between he and Jalen guarding Maxey all night long, being disruptive, picking up full court, and then being able to do it on the other end. I think that’s what we’ve asked him to do and how we need him to be night in and night out, and he showed that tonight.”
Mosley continued by pointing to Black’s physicality, pace and confidence attacking the basket.
“There’s a level of aggression about him. There’s a confidence, he has that swagger. You saw the one down in transition where he attacks the lane, gets the dunk over the top. Just that ability to get downhill and attack the lane and the basket that way is so big for him and then stepping into his shot with confidence. And I’ll go back to it though, his ability to guard defensively and then be able to push the pace is something special for him and that’s what we need from him.”
The Magic improved to 11–8 after a 3–5 start and moved to 3–0 in East Group B play with a +61 point differential. Detroit (15–2) sits at 2–0 in group play with a +27 differential. Orlando and Detroit will meet Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET in their final NBA Cup matchup, concluding a three-game road trip before the Magic return to the Kia Center to host the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
