Da Silva among the stars in rousing Magic win against title contender

The Orlando Magic rebounded in emphatic fashion on the second night of a back-to-back inside Kia Center, earning a 127-126 win over the Denver Nuggets. What were a few of our takeaways?! Let's examine!

Anthony Black continues to be the man of the hour:

If I gave you three guesses as to who would have a career night between every available Nuggets and Magic player, the three most frequent guesses would likely be Nikola Jokic, Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane.

Well, none of them did. Hello, Anthony Black!

The third-year guard was pitch perfect in the Magic's thrilling victory. After scoring 13 of the team's first 17 points, Black finished with a career-high 38 points on 14-of-24 shooting. He buried seven triples -- nearly twice as much as his previous career high (4) -- on 11 attempts. He is now 15 for his last 26 from distance over his last three games.

The 6-foot-7 guard has appeared a ton on our takeaways over the last several weeks. And rightfully so! Though Saturday's outing was the cherry on top to what has been a miraculous third season from him.

The beauty of it all?! He's letting the game come to him and not forcing the issue ... and he was able to get the game-saving stop against Jamal Murray as time expired.

What goes around, comes around:

Magic Nuggets — Dec 27, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) dunks during the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

In their first meeting of the season earlier this month, the Nuggets poured on a 35-7 first half run en route to their 11-point win. Nothing could quite equal that dominance. But the Magic used a 21-7 fourth quarter surge to take a four-point lead with 7:31 left.

With the best player on the planet in Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets were too good to lay down without throwing a few more counter punches. Though Orlando persevered, capped by Tristan da Silva's floater and Desmond Bane's game-winning free throws with 6.6 seconds left.

Tristan da Silva's importance is huge for Magic:

Everyone stepped up down the stretch for Orlando. But I want to talk about Tristan da Silva, who scored 17 points in his second game since returning from a shoulder injury.

He's a huge piece to the Magic's bench as a floor spacer and connective tissue. That's not to say that Jase Richardson, Jett Howard and Noah Penda haven't all stepped up when they've been called upon. They have.

Anthony Black continues to be the man of the hour:

What goes around, comes around:

Tristan da Silva's importance is huge for Magic:

More Orlando Magic Stories: