No. 1 Osceola Magic Advance To Eastern Conference Semifinals After Dramatic Win Over No. 8 Long Island

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Apr. 1, 2026) – The Osceola Magic (1-0) survived a late-game scare in a 119-117 win over the Long Island Nets (0-1) on Wednesday night at Osceola Heritage Park. The Magic will face the Motor City Cruise on Friday, April 3 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Osceola Heritage Park. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPNU. 

Fans can purchase tickets to Friday night's semifinal matchup at OsceolaMagic.com/playoffs.

In his Osceola playoff debut, Magic center Colin Castleton secured his eighth double-double in a row with a team-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. Javonte Smart scored 21 points off the bench and Alex Morales recorded 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. Reece Beekman contributed 11 points and dished out 12 assists. 

Nets two-way player E.J. Liddell scored a game-high 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. Malachi Smith scored 29 points and Chaney Johnson contributed 22. 

In a fast-paced first quarter, the Nets emerged with a 38-21 advantage. Osceola flipped the script in the second quarter and held a 65-60 lead heading into the locker room. The Magic shot 63.6 percent from the field in the second quarter while holding Long Island to just 23.1 percent shooting. 

The Magic looked to have locked up the victory after extending their lead to seven points with just 11 seconds remaining. After drawing a foul on a three-point attempt, Tyson Etienne hit his first two foul shots and intentionally missed the third. Smith grabbed the offensive rebound and hit a corner three to cut the Magic lead to two. 

Lester Quiñones missed his two follow up free throws, giving the Nets a chance with six seconds remaining. Smith’s potential game-winner hit off the backboard, and the Magic survived and advanced to the next round of the NBA G League playoffs.