The Magic’s Summer League opener, Mo Bamba’s return, and an earthquake

I miss the days when NBA Summer League was played in Orlando and there were, you know, no earthquakes.

The Magic’s Summer League opener in Las Vegas was cut short on Friday night as a precaution after an earthquake struck Southern California, the aftershocks of which were felt in the arena....

The game concluded after three quarters with the Magic leading the Spurs, 75-59. The spotlight for the Magic was directly on Mo Bamba, who was back on the court for the first time since January after suffering a stress fracture in his leg.

For me, I simply wanted to see Bamba run up and down the court smoothly and show some quickness in his help defense, and he did so for the most part after shaking off the initial rust. And just as he did during Summer League last season, and at times during the regular season, Bamba showed flashes.

Noticeably thicker and more defined, Bamba finished with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 2-for-2 from three, in 15 minutes.

Bamba, who grabbed two rebounds, didn’t record a blocked shot but did use his length to his advantage on the defensive end as the Magic used some suffocating defense to build a 29-point advantage.

The Magic could certainly use a shooter to unexpectedly emerge from Summer League, and in the opening half of the opener, that was Erik McCree, a former two-way player for the Utah Jazz. The 6-8 forward - who spent last year playing in Italy, where he averaged over 18 points per game - scored all of his team-high 16 points in the first half. He shot 6-for-11 from the field, going 2 of 4 from three, in 21 minutes (also a team-high).

As for another familiar names, Amile Jefferson added eight points, four rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes. Daquan Jefferies had nine points and Devin Davis and Braian Angola-Rodas of the Lakeland Magic each added seven.

Leading the Spurs was Lonnie Walker, who scored 28 points in 24 minutes.

The Magic continue Summer League play on Sunday, when they face the Denver Nuggets at 6 p.m. Eastern on NBA TV, earthquakes permitting.

In other Magic news, Dwight Howard was traded for the fourth time in his career, as the Wizards shipped him to Memphis. That would be the eighth team that Howard has been acquired by in his career. Since being traded from the Magic in 2012, Howard has played for the Lakers, Rockets, Hawks, Bobcats and Wizards. He was traded to but never played for the Brooklyn Nets, and that could very well be what happens in Memphis. Should have stayed in Orlando, big fella.

And, in other news of much more importance, it seems that we potentially have some kind of video evidence of Markelle Fultz shooting a basketball...