Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leading scorer in Game 2 loss
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Banchero notched 21 points (9-20 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block over 41 minutes in Orlando's 96-86 loss to Cleveland in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series.
Banchero led all Orlando players in scoring while handing out a trio of rebounds and assists and swiping a team-high pair of steals in a losing effort in Game 2. Banchero has done all he can to help the Magic in the first two games of the series against the Cavaliers, surpassing the 20-point mark while recording at least three rebounds and steals in both outings.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Scores 24 in playoff debut
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Banchero closed with 24 points (9-17 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 4-8 FT), seven rebounds and five assists across 41 minutes during Saturday's 97-83 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
The Magic fell short in the series opener against the Cavaliers, but Banchero had a solid showing and finished just three boards away from recording a double-double. Banchero was Orlando's most reliable scoring weapon during the regular season and posted 54 appearances with 20 or more points, so it wasn't shocking to see him reach that mark in his postseason debut. Banchero should operate as the Magic's primary offensive weapon for Game 2 on Monday.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Top scorer in all-around outing
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Banchero registered 26 points (8-19 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 8-9 FT), 11 rebounds and seven assists across 35 minutes during Sunday's 113-88 win over the Bucks.
Banchero rounded out the regular season by putting forth an all-around showing for Orlando, leading all players in Sunday's contest in points, rebounds and assists while ending three dimes shy of a triple-double in a blowout victory. Banchero recorded at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in five outings, posting two straight games with 20 points, 10 boards and five dimes to conclude the regular season.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Grabs 15 boards vs. Philadelphia
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Banchero ended with 22 points (7-24 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 6-9 FT), 15 rebounds, seven assists and one block in 41 minutes during Friday's 125-113 loss to the 76ers.
Banchero's 15 rebounds Friday marked a season high for the 2022 first overall pick, and it was the first time since March 21 against the Pelicans that he grabbed 10 or more boards in a game. He's scored 20-plus points in each of his last six games. Banchero and the Magic face the Bucks on Sunday in a regular-season finale with major playoff implications.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leads Orlando in victory
Rotowire
Banchero registered 24 points (8-17 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 7-8 FT), six rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes during Sunday's 113-98 win over the Bulls.
Banchero surpassed the 20-point mark for the third consecutive game, and even though he failed to reach the 30-point plateau this time, he still posted an excellent overall performance, leaving his mark in the rebounds and assists columns. Banchero has scored 20 or more points in six of his last nine appearances, a span in which he's averaging 21.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Stuffs stat sheet Saturday
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Banchero closed Saturday's 118-88 victory over the Grizzlies with 13 points (5-12 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists and four blocks across 30 minutes.
Wendell Carter turned heads with his impressive double-double, but there's no doubt Banchero made his presence felt on both ends of the court, racking up stats left and right. The second-year forward might have ended a streak of four games with 15 or more points, but Banchero remains extremely valuable in fantasy even in games where his shot isn't falling due to his ability to fill the stat sheet on both ends of the court.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Scores 23 points in loss Friday
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Banchero totaled 23 points (8-18 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 6-7 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and two steals across 38 minutes during Friday's 100-97 loss to the Clippers.
Banchero couldn't carry the Magic to victory over the Clippers, but he delivered an impressive outing on both ends of the court. The All-Star forward has reached the 20-point mark in four of his last six appearances, and his role as Orlando's biggest piece on offense is set in stone, so he owns a pretty high floor most nights. He's averaging 21.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and a combined 1.3 steals-plus-blocks during March.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leads Orlando to win Sunday
Rotowire
Banchero produced 29 points (11-16 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 3-6 FT), six rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in 36 minutes during Sunday's 111-96 win over the Raptors.
Banchero was extremely efficient Sunday, and even though his role as Orlando's go-to player on offense is not under question, his already-high fantasy value gets a sizable bump when he's shooting the ball this well. Banchero has quickly become a stat-filling machine as the season has progressed. He's averaging 23.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 rebounds per game since the beginning of March.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leads charge in Wednesday's win
Rotowire
Banchero registered a team-high 21 points (6-6 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 8-9 FT), three rebounds and nine assists across 35 minutes during Wednesday's 114-106 win over the Nets.
The Magic featured a well-balanced attack that saw all five starters, plus two bench players, score in double digits, but Banchero led the way. The reigning Rookie of the Year has topped 20 points in six of seven games since missing a couple contests in late February due to an illness, averaging 24.0 points, 6.4 boards, 5.7 assists and 1.3 threes over that stretch while shooting 51.7 percent from the floor.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Gets little help in loss
Rotowire
Banchero produced 23 points (9-20 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-5 FT), nine rebounds, two assists, four blocks and two steals over 36 minutes during Friday's 98-74 loss to the Knicks.
The Magic's 74 points were the lowest by any team in the NBA this season, and Banchero was the only Orlando player to have much success at all against the Knicks' stifling defense. The 2022 Rookie of the Year made his own defensive impact as well, setting a new career high in rejections. Banchero has topped 20 points in five straight games since returning from a brief absence due to illness, averaging 25.6 points, 7.4 boards, 5.2 assists, 1.4 threes and 1.0 blocks while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Goes for 22 points Tuesday
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Banchero registered 22 points (9-19 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and three assists over 33 minutes during Tuesday's 101-89 win over Charlotte.
Banchero missed two games due to illness toward the end of February, but he hasn't skipped a beat since returning, posting three straight games with more than 20 points. Firmly entrenched as Orlando's most reliable fantasy asset, as he leads the team in points, rebounds, and assists per game, most of Banchero's fantasy value lies in the scoring column. On that note, he's scored 20 or more points in five of his last seven appearances. He's averaging 21.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game since the league resumed following the All-Star break.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Hits for 29 against Detroit
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Banchero closed with a game-high 29 points (10-16 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 8-9 FT), eight rebounds and five assists over 32 minutes during Sunday's 113-91 victory over the Pistons.
The second-year forward has shaken off the illness that cost him two games in late February, dropping 29 points in back-to-back contests. Banchero had been in a bit of a scoring slump before the time off, failing to score at least 20 points in four of his previous six games, but he appears to be firing on all cylinders again. Over 11 contests since the beginning of February, the 21-year-old is averaging 22.3 points, 6.2 boards, 6.1 assists, 1.5 threes and 0.8 steals while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Does it all in return
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Banchero posted 29 points (10-16 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 8-11 FT), nine rebounds, six assists and one steal over 35 minutes in Thursday's 115-107 win over Utah.
Banchero returned after missing the last two games with a non-COVID illness, leading all players in Thursday's contest in scoring while handing out a team-high-tying half-dozen assists and ending one rebound shy of a double-double. Banchero has scored at least 29 points in 11 games this season, including in two of his last four outings. He has posted 25 or more points with eight or more rebounds in 12 contests for Orlando.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Available vs. Utah
Rotowire
Banchero (illness) is available for Thursday's game against the Jazz.
Banchero missed the last two games due to a non-COVID illness, and he was considered a game-time decision for Thursday's matchup. However, he's been cleared to return and will immediately rejoin the starting lineup, while Caleb Houstan will retreat to the bench. Over Banchero's last five appearances, he's averaged 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 35.2 minutes per game.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Present at shootaround
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Banchero, who's listed as questionable due to an illness, is present at Orlando's morning shootaround ahead of Tuesday's game against the Nets, Philip Rossman-Reich of OrlandoMagicDaily.com reports.
Banchero was a late scratch for Sunday's matchup versus the Hawks after nailing a last-second, game-winning shot versus the Pistons on Saturday. He appears to be trending in the right direction ahead of Tuesday's matchup, but his official availability may come down to a game-time decision.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Listed as questionable
Rotowire
Banchero (illness) is questionable for Tuesday's game against the Nets.
Banchero nailed a last-second, game-winning shot versus the Pistons on Saturday but was a late scratch for Sunday's matchup versus the Hawks due to an illness. His participation level during Tuesday's morning shootaround should provide further clarity on Banchero's availability versus Brooklyn.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Late scratch due to illness
Rotowire
Banchero has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Hawks due to an illness.
Fresh off hitting the game-winning shot versus the Pistons on Saturday, Banchero was left off Orlando's initial injury report for Sunday's game. However, a few hours later, he's a late scratch due to an illness and will miss his first game of the season. Banchero's next chance to suit up will come Tuesday versus Brooklyn, while Jonathan Isaac, Joe Ingles and Moritz Wagner are all candidates to take on increased roles versus Atlanta.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Comes up clutch for Orlando
Rotowire
Banchero closed Saturday's 112-109 win over the Pistons with 15 points (5-17 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 5-9 FT), five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 29 minutes.
Banchero was far from being at his best Saturday and needed 17 shots to score 15 points, but he came through when the team needed him the most, draining the game-winning shot with just 0.1 seconds left. It's worth noting Banchero has failed to reach the 20-point mark in four of his last six appearances. Still, the star forward continues to operate as the Magic's primary offensive weapon, with averages of 20.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in February.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Balanced game despite illness
Rotowire
Banchero notched 12 points (4-15 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds and four assists over 33 minutes in Thursday's 116-109 win over Cleveland.
Banchero entered Thursday's contest questionable with an illness but went on to start for Orlando while leading all Magic starters in rebounds and ending as one of six players with a double-digit point total in a winning effort. Banchero failed to tally 15 or more points for just the ninth time this season after entering the All-Star break having notched 13 consecutive games with at least 15 points. With a few days of rest to recover from his illness, Banchero could see his pre-All-Star break level of play return Saturday against Detroit.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Available vs. Cleveland
Rotowire
Banchero (illness) is available for Thursday's game against Cleveland, Dan Savage of the Magic's official site reports.
Banchero was a late addition to Thursday's injury report due to an illness, but he'll be able to suit up and start against the Cavaliers. Over his five appearances leading up to the All-Star break, he averaged 23.4 points, 7.2 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 35.6 minutes per game.
