Lights Out: Magic's new arena has pregame glitch

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The Orlando Magic shot lights out in the home opener in their new arena. For an encore, they did it before the game started this time.

A malfunction with the main lights in the Amway Center delayed the start of Orlando's preseason game against the Charlotte Bobcats about 25 minutes Thursday night. The lights dimmed for pregame introductions but didn't come back on immediately.

Then things turned a little comical.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy went over to Charlotte's Larry Brown and had a chuckle over his proposal.

"My two suggestions were that we play the first quarter back here in the practice room and put it on film up on the board," Van Gundy said. "Then Larry thought we should just play running time since we were so far behind."

That might have worked out better for Brown.

The Bobcats were beaten 86-73 in a game Orlando played mostly reserves. Brown backed up Van Gundy's comments, even joking after his team's ugly loss.

"(Van Gundy) said, 'As soon as the lights come on he's going to kick our butts,"' Brown said, chuckling.

Fans didn't seem overly bothered and players tried to lighten the mood.

Some decided to keeping shooting, laughing when the moving spotlight and blaring music made the atmosphere closer to a nightclub than an NBA arena. Orlando's Ryan Anderson and J.J. Redick even started playing H-O-R-S-E.

"My only chance against J.J. ever was in the dark," Anderson said.

Orlando's mascot, Stuff the Magic Dragon, entertained fans with trick shots, and he did make one half-court shot. Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard was even put on the "kiss camera" - and gave a big peck on the head to a laughing woman.

After a 54-point win in the arena's debut Sunday night against New Orleans, it wasn't exactly the follow-up Orlando was hoping for in its new building. Then again, that's what the preseason is for.

"It's one of those reasons it's good you have four preseason games in a new facility," Van Gundy said. "There's going to be kinks. It's no big deal. Heck, a lot of teams start their games at 7:30 (not 7 p.m.), so we joined them."