ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic returned home for the first time in the preseason and welcomed their fans back to the Kia Center with a dominant 132-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The win came two days after Orlando fell to the Cavs, 119-105 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. On Wednesday, the Magic seized the opportunity to defend their floor in the rematch. Let’s identify how they got it done:

Banchero, Wagner take over in first half

In Orlando’s first two preseason games, its star duo of forwards, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, were rather quiet.

In a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 7, Banchero and Wagner combined for 17 points while shooting 2-for-14 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. In Sunday’s loss to Cleveland, they combined for 20 points while shooting 5-for-17 from the field and 1-for-5 from 3-point range.

Banchero especially struggled on Sunday, as he shot 1-for-10. However, Magic coach Sean Sweeney expressed confidence in him before Tuesday’s game against the Cavs and emphasized what Banchero has been doing well while highlighting that the preseason serves as an environment to work out the kinks.

When tip-off occurred less than two hours later, Wagner and Banchero immediately began playing with quick aggression.

The tandem scored 20 of the Magic’s 35 first-quarter points, and they were responsible for the first 17 points Orlando scored in an efficient effort — converting seven of their 10 shots. At halftime, Banchero was the leading scorer with 15 points, and Wagner had 11 of his own as the Magic enjoyed a 72-52 lead at the break.

By the final buzzer, Banchero had logged a game-high 24 points, while Wagner notched 20 points. Perhaps they got a boost from being back in front of their fans, but the pair had their strongest outing of the preseason so far.

Defense

In Sunday’s loss, the Magic had trouble stopping James Harden as he scored a game-high 24 points. The Cavaliers overall shot efficiently as they connected on 40.5% of their 3-point attempts.

Orlando did not allow that to happen on Tuesday as it stifled Cleveland’s scoring efforts. Harden was held to 13 points of 3-for-12 shooting, and the Cavaliers were held to 31.4% from 3-point range.

At halftime, the Magic had allotted 14 points off the Cavs’ nine turnovers, and they held them to 26.3% shooting from the perimeter. Orlando was switching and putting pressure on the ball, and it was working. The Magic also outrebounded the Cavaliers, 54-38.

After the game, Sweeney expressed his happiness with the improvement displayed through execution.

Orlando will host the Miami Heat on Friday to conclude its preseason slate.