Philip Rossman-Reich

That was very much needed for the #Magic. They made a franchise-high 27 3-pointers. Paolo Banchero looked like superstar Paolo with 30 points. And that was a dominant victory. #Magic defeat the #Kings 131-94. Welcome back!

Jett Howard drains a three to give the #Magic a franchise-record 26 made threes tonight.

#Magic rolling as this game winds down.

128-94 ORL, 2:03 4th

The #Magic have tied their franchise record with 25 made threes tonight.

119-94 ORL, 4:58 4th

The #Magic close the third quarter on a 19-3 run to run away with this one. The #Magic lead the #Kings 102-84 after three quarters. Paolo Banchero doing whatever he wants out there but mostly not forcing things. Big lift from Jevon Carter to close the quarter.

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Paolo Banchero tonight:

26 points
8/16 FG
5/7 3FG
3 rebounds
6 assists
+19

That's what we've wanted to see from him.

94-83 ORL, 2:39 3rd

The #Magic have struggled to get stops all quarter. But the offense is keeping the pressure up. Making enough threes to hang around. Still kind of sloppy with turnovers and passing in tight quarters.

88-81 ORL, 3:44 3rd

The #Magic shot 8 for 11 from three in the second quarter. Paolo Banchero has 13 points in the quarter. A 16-0 run tied the game and gave the #Magic the lead. But they kept pouring it on. Really nice response to the poor first. Magic lead 64-55 at the half.

I won't have the numbers on this until tomorrow, but it feels like the #Magic are running a lot more AB/Paolo PnRs with Paolo as the screener. Love the Magic doing this more. It gets Paolo the ball on the move and the defense not loaded up on him.

50-45 ORL, 4:11 2nd

Anthony Black dices his way to the basket for a reverse layup. That completes a 16-0 run for the #Magic before Black picked up a tech for protesting for a foul for too long. The #Magic have turned this game around. They look like the far superior team now.

42-38 ORL, 6:06 2d

I would probably agree with that. I have to keep reminding everyone that despite how poorly they are playing, they are still right in the race to avoid the Play-In. Of course, that is not where this team wanted to be. Been a frustrating season.

The #Magic are on an 11-0 run to tie the game. Playing with a lot more energy and intensity. Getting ot the basket. Coincided with Paolo checking back into the game too. Finding their groove. Paolo to the line for the lead.

37-37, 6:32 2nd

The #Magic have no one outside of Paolo and Moe who want to attack the paint. And that is the problem. Just a lot of guys who are uninterested in attacking. Nothing is going to change until the team plays inside-out.

37-26 SAC, 8:49 2nd

The #Magic shot 4 of 13 from three and 5 for 24 overall (20.8%). The #Kings are bad. And they are playing really poorly. But you have to make shots. No one besides Paolo (and Moe) are getting to the paint. Everyone is settling.

#Kings lead 28-18 after one quarter.

The #Magic are rolling with a Jevon Carter-Anthony Black-Jett Howard-Jonathan Isaac-Moe Wagner lineup.

Definitely still feels like Jamahl Mosley is searching for something. Seeing Isaac and Moe paired together is nice again.

18-17 ORL, 3:26 1st

Paolo Banchero is 1 for 6 for 5 points. I like his looks and his aggression. He is trying to get downhill. Undoubtedly he is frustrated he is not getting some foul calls. But the difference for him this year has been his explosiveness around the rim and ability to finish.

16-13 SAC, 4:01 1st

Jevon Carter and Jett Howard are the first two #Magic players off the bench. Unsure if that is matching up with the #Kings or trying some things out against a weaker opponent.

13-9 ORL, 5:42 1st

The #Magic have five three-point attempts in the first four minutes of the game. The #Kings are ducking under every screen and daring them to shoot. I don't mind the Magic trying to increase their volume, but this is the No. 27 team in 3FG%. That shouldn't be their default.

9-8 SAC, 7:27 1st

The first four possessions offensively for the #Magic have ranged from: "That's perfect, great ball movement" to "Eek, what are you thinking?"

Fortunately, the #Kings are... rough. Really sloppy.

Orlando really needs to put the hammer down early.

5-1 ORL, 10:24 1st

mickey mouse is sitting in a chair on the beach wearing sunglasses and saying `` have a great vacation ! '' ALT: mickey mouse is sitting in a chair on the beach wearing sunglasses and saying `` have a great vacation ! ''

The #Magic are back from the break to take on the #Kings. Can they get off on the right foot to start this road trip?

a woman is making a funny face in front of a large american flag . ALT: a woman is making a funny face in front of a large american flag .

Did you just shout, "America!" as you hit the gas?

Not to mention, the bill they are promoting does not accept the ID you need to buy any of those things.

Franz Wagner injury disrupts Orlando Magic’s push for consistency The Orlando Magic will be without Franz Wagner for an extended period as he continues to struggle recovering from his high left ankle sprain.

The #Magic hoped for consistency after the All-Star Break. Franz Wagner being out indefinitely throws a wrench in those plans and further frustration for this season:

Do new teams enter the villa every two or three days, just to mix up the tournament pairings and cause unnecessary drama?

YouTube video by Locked On Magic STARDOM: Orlando Magic, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner Must PROVE They Belong Among NBA’s ELITE

Where do the Magic stand among the NBA’s stars? In this episode:
🇺🇸 Paolo Banchero’s Team USA future
🌟 Finding Orlando’s place in All-Star conversations
🤯 Did All-Star Weekend actually work?

Looks like it will be Kawhi vs. Ant for the MVP.

Good to see players caring. The NBA may have found the right format for this thing.

Ant and Wemby are the early favorites for MVP through two games. Ant took over the end of both games.

But De'Aaron Fox with the buzzer-beating three to give Stripes the win in Game 2. Stars are 1-1. A World win makes all three teams 1-1.

Scottie Barnes hits the three in the race to five to win the first game. Team World has to go to the back and wait for their second game as Team USA Stars wins 5-3 in OT.

That was a fun. Bite-sized game. Brought some intensity.

Overtime in the first game of this round-robin format with some solid defensive attention for an All-Star Game? NBA is getting what it wants.

32-32, End 1st

a basketball player wearing a jersey with the number 6 ALT: a basketball player wearing a jersey with the number 6

World team is so stiff with all of their size.

They need a rangy, athletic 6-foot-10 wing, I think.

a man is singing into a microphone while another man is playing a keyboard . ALT: a man is singing into a microphone while another man is playing a keyboard .

Do I need to talk about the All-Star Game? I guess I'm required to.

Good energy so far. Definitely better than the last few years. Wembanyama trying definitely ups eveyrone's intensity.

As I annoyingly say, you take cues from your leaders. When the best try, everyone else will.