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The Orlando Magic got their first win of the 2026 NBA Summer League by defeating the Miami Heat on Saturday in Las Vegas, 93-88.
Saturday’s win by Orlando marked its eighth-straight over Miami dating back to the 2025-26 preseason. Afterward, Magic Summer League guard Lester Quinones talked with the media about what he saw after his 15-point performance, and he started by praising Noah Penda, who secured a critical block with less than 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter while Orlando was clinging to a three-point lead.
"Oh, that's huge. Especially in Noah's case—his size and his frame, him being so big, I feel like he could be an elite-level defender. It's just a little meticulous stuff like schemes, knowing the players' habits, and things like that. He kind of predetermined his move and was just there and just swatted it away. So that was crazy. That was impressive by Noah."
"Our defense, definitely. First half, I think Jauris and Trevor combined for like 34 out of their 36 as a team. Second half, we kind of shut their water off a little bit because they still were scoring at a high clip. But we definitely keyed in defensively on those two, and I think we held their whole team to almost less than 40 in the second half."
"I would just say my efficiency—just the quality of shots, the type of shots I'm making. I'm a high-level shot maker. Obviously, shooting is what my niche will be to get up top to the league. So, just shooting the highest efficient shots that I could get or generate for the next guy."
"Just consistency. The energy that we brought today in that second half, even to start the game. We started off pretty good energy-wise. We bring energy here with the talent on this roster, I feel like we could definitely still have a shot. I don't know how the pool works and stuff for the championship and everything, but our focus is to win these next two."
"My efficiency. It was the highest shooting efficiency of my career since I left college. Kind of just locked in on a lot of film, taking high-efficiency shots, working on actions—things that they want to see up top with guys like me, just being simple. Get off of it; if there's a guy open, just swing the ball. If I'm open, I have to hit the shot. So, just kind of locking in on that more and focusing on winning. I feel like Osceola was, since I've been in the G, definitely my best season. We were number one in the whole G, made First Team All-G League. So, the difference I would say is winning. Just the winning culture there just helped me out a lot as a player and my growth there. And I'm appreciative of everybody there—staff, players, and teammates."
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Saturday’s win by Orlando marked its eighth-straight over Miami dating back to the 2025-26 preseason. Afterward, Magic Summer League guard Lester Quinones talked with the media about what he saw after his 15-point performance, and he started by praising Noah Penda, who secured a critical block with less than 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter while Orlando was clinging to a three-point lead.
On Noah Penda’s game-winning block to secure the victory:
"Oh, that's huge. Especially in Noah's case—his size and his frame, him being so big, I feel like he could be an elite-level defender. It's just a little meticulous stuff like schemes, knowing the players' habits, and things like that. He kind of predetermined his move and was just there and just swatted it away. So that was crazy. That was impressive by Noah."
On what changed for the defense in the second half:
"Our defense, definitely. First half, I think Jauris and Trevor combined for like 34 out of their 36 as a team. Second half, we kind of shut their water off a little bit because they still were scoring at a high clip. But we definitely keyed in defensively on those two, and I think we held their whole team to almost less than 40 in the second half."
On where his game has improved the most since last season:
"I would just say my efficiency—just the quality of shots, the type of shots I'm making. I'm a high-level shot maker. Obviously, shooting is what my niche will be to get up top to the league. So, just shooting the highest efficient shots that I could get or generate for the next guy."
On what he wants to see from the team in the upcoming back-to-back:
"Just consistency. The energy that we brought today in that second half, even to start the game. We started off pretty good energy-wise. We bring energy here with the talent on this roster, I feel like we could definitely still have a shot. I don't know how the pool works and stuff for the championship and everything, but our focus is to win these next two."
On how his time with the Osceola Magic helped him grow as a player:
"My efficiency. It was the highest shooting efficiency of my career since I left college. Kind of just locked in on a lot of film, taking high-efficiency shots, working on actions—things that they want to see up top with guys like me, just being simple. Get off of it; if there's a guy open, just swing the ball. If I'm open, I have to hit the shot. So, just kind of locking in on that more and focusing on winning. I feel like Osceola was, since I've been in the G, definitely my best season. We were number one in the whole G, made First Team All-G League. So, the difference I would say is winning. Just the winning culture there just helped me out a lot as a player and my growth there. And I'm appreciative of everybody there—staff, players, and teammates."
Join the Community! Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news! It's completely free to join, simply by clicking the yellow button at the top of the homepage. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP and stay even more connected!
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